Within the house : behaviour and house decoration in the domestic space

Abstract

Most anthropological fieldwork in the western world, has been carried out on the interactions of individuals within particular groups. Much of the focus has been on the behaviour of individuals towards others or towards society. The relationship between individuals and their creations or constructions has been unnoticed until relatively recently. The creations and constructions of individuals are physical manifestations of their behaviour. They are the individual's response to others and to society. The house embodies these constructions, because it is sheltered from the rest of society, and to a certain extent private. The house is in a constant state of flux due to the changes of the developmental cycle of each family unit. However, there are also certain immutable things which remain thus throughout one's lifetime. These are the cultural values that each individual has internalised. These values are expressed through the actions of individuals. Since the house is the place in which one spends a considerable amount of time throughout a lifetime, it is the space where apart from work outside the home, the concentration of actions lies. It is on these actions which I have sought to focus my fieldwork. The house is a framework for various set of actions taking place simultaneously. Each member of the household shares common values with the rest of the household, but at the same time is subject to various influences by other bodies with whom each individual interacts. The house is also a place where each member has particular domains, or none at all. The individuals who dominate the space of the house are usually those persons whose interactions have become to a certain extent permanent. In this sense, the actions of the person who chooses what type of furniture should go where, permeate and influence the actions of the other members of the household. Individual actions are in tum influenced by various factors. One of the most dominant factors is perhaps kin pressure. Most individuals (especially the spouses), feel the need to comply with their relatives. In most instances in my case studies, kin live in the same town. When this occurs they are usually the persons women frequent, since many are suspicious of other female friends. Thus, the wife is subject to influences from her mother, sisters as well as her in-laws who might happen to live there also. Other factors influencing the action of individuals within the house are age, socioeconomic grouping, and gender. The decoration of the house depends on the generation with which the dominant persons fell. It also pertains to the, socioeconomic grouping the members of the household feel they belong to, or aspire to belong to within the walls of their home. The issue of gender in the house reveals the tensions between males and their affirmation of masculinity against females trying to affirm their femininity. The concepts of masculinity and femininity are culturally transmitted. Often it is their transmission which entails their affirmation. If the house is regarded as a female domain, then it is up to the females in the house to exclude males from household chores (often to the detriment of the females themselves), in order to affirm their femininity.