I don't feel at home in this world anymore: on the detrimental nature of living 's-places' in late capitalist urban society

Abstract

Our homes serve as the central hubs for our everyday lives and experiences. As such, we expect them to foster the regeneration of the self; provide for our safety and security; and serve as a reflection of our individual identities. However, technological advancements and the re-merging of home- and work environments, have resulted in a constant intrusion of our homes by the outside world, preventing us from finding solace within our four walls. Secondly, the distinction between the inside and the outside world has moved from a reciprocal sparing and preserving to a one-sided focus on self-preservation, in which our suspicion of the outside world leads us to use aggressive security measures that further alienate us from our surroundings. Lastly, our desire to personalise our homes so that they express our identities is thwarted by commodities that are only marginally different, which makes the pursuit of personal distinctiveness become an illusion that is perpetuated by a society in which alienation is total. In short, the home has become the source of every self-estrangement and alienation. Therefore, as this thesis shall argue, the late capitalist urban home is detrimental to the self as an individual and creative agent.