The Politics of Home : Belonging and Nostalgia in Western Europe and the United States

This book examines ideas of 'home' of Americans and Western Europeans under the influence of the two major revolutions of our times: the gender revolution and increased mobility due to globalization. It analyzes how 'home' has been politicized, as well as alternative home-making strategies that aim to transcend the 'logic of identities'. This book addresses prominent debates in Western Europe and the United States on themes as seemingly diverse as national identity and nostalgia, migration and integration, gender relations and 'caring communities'. At the most fundamental level, all of these debates deal with the right to belong and the ability to 'feel at home'. The book examines what has happened to the 'home feelings' of the majority under the influence of the two major revolutions of our times: the gender revolution and increased mobility due to globalization. It analyzes how 'home' has been politicized, examines the risks of this politicization, as well as exploring alternative home-making strategies that aim to transcend the 'logic of identities' where one group's ability to feel at home comes at the expense of other groups "Duyvendak cleverly dissects the idea of home at very different levels, and different continents, weaving together strands of sociology that are usually kept far apart"--Professor Jasper, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, USA 'In this important work of comparative historical sociology, community studies and social theory, Jan Willem Duyvendak explores the changing meanings associated with "feeling at home" in contemporary western Europe and North America. Exhaustively researched, methodologically rigorous and accessibly presented, this book will be of great interest to all social scientists concerned to understand the remaking of social attachment and cultural belonging under early 21st century conditions.' - Professor Neil Brenner, New York University, USA 'Through contrasting ideologies of "home as nation" in Europe, and "home as safe haven" in the United States, Duyvendak traces the growing obsession with place and rootedness, home and homeland, as a reaction to globalization and the gender revolution. His analysis reveals the underlying tensions between liberal definitions of citizenship and a more conservative discourse of the right to belong with surprising results. His insightful comparison sheds light on the emerging contradictions inherent in the notion of home and its contemporary political reality and deployment.' - Professor Setha Low, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, USA

This book addresses prominent debates in Western Europe and the United States on themes as seemingly diverse as national identity and nostalgia, migration and integration, gender relations and 'caring communities'. At the most fundamental level, all of these debates deal with the right to belong and the ability to 'feel at home'. The book examines what has happened to the 'home feelings' of the majority under the influence of the two major revolutions of our times: the gender revolution and increased mobility due to globalization. It analyzes how 'home' has been politicized, examines the risks of this politicization, as well as exploring alternative home-making strategies that aim to transcend the 'logic of identities' where one group's ability to feel at home comes at the expense of other groups.

Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-6 A Homesick World?....Pages 7-25 Why Feeling at Home Matters....Pages 26-42 Losing Home at Home: When Men and Women Feel More at Home at Work....Pages 43-61 New Ways of Home-making: Feeling at Home in the Community?....Pages 62-83 Feeling at Home in the Nation? Understanding Dutch Nostalgia....Pages 84-105 Conclusion: Inclusive Ways of Feeling at Home?....Pages 106-124 Back Matter....Pages 125-150 Machine generated contents note: Introduction A Homesick World? Why Feeling at Home Matters Losing Home at Home: When Men and Women Feel More at Home at Work New Ways of Home-making: Feeling at Home in the Community? Feeling at Home in the Nation? Understanding Dutch Nostalgia Conclusion: Inclusive Ways of Feeling at Home? Bibliography.