Peer-Shared Households, Quasi-Communes and Neo-Tribes

Bibliographic Data

ID2305156
AuthorsSue Heath (0000-0002-0500-5594, corresponding author)
Year2004
Volume52
Issue2
Pages161-179
Publication date2004-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCurrent Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0011-3921 • E-ISSN: 1461-7064
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0011392104041799
OpenAlexW2111675822
LanguageEN
Citations received40
References cited20

An increasing proportion of single young adults can expect to spend at least some of their 20-something years living in peer-shared households, defined here as households consisting of unrelated individuals living in self-contained houses and apartments. Indeed, many will also find themselves returning to such arrangements after living alone or with a partner. This article explores the nature of the relationships that exist between young people living in such households. First, using Maffesoli's concept of 'neo-tribalism', the article explores the importance of proximity, shared space (both real and symbolic) and ritual to the everyday framing of relationships in peer-shared households. Second, the article considers the conditions under which some shared households may move beyond neo-tribalism to take on the characteristics of 'quasi-communes', marked by the institutionalization of friendship within a domestic setting. The article draws on empirical research involving 25 shared households in the south of England

Framing (construction) · Friendship · Geography · Political science · Politics · Shared space · Social science · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Tribalism · Gender Studies · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Law · Rural development and sustainability · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics