Home/House

Home encompasses a distinct set of experiences and processes that, while typically associated with houses and dwellings, need not be. People may feel at home in places that are not houses, and within their own dwelling may lack a sense of home. The entry discusses distinct dimensions of the meaning and conception of home that are relevant for urban and community scholars, such as culture, identity, practice, emotion, and belonging. Home can be understood as a set of practices, informed by culture, that facilitates certain emotional experiences and allows individuals to express personal and collective identities in their private dwellings and beyond. Studies of home typically rely on qualitative methods and examine the making of home under challenging circumstances. Increasingly, home and belonging are investigated in relation to mobility and migration while fostering connections with other areas of study.