The spatial and gendered politics of displaying family: exploring material cultures in grandfathers’ homes

Abstract

This article analyses the meaning that 27 men who are grandfathers ascribed to the domestic material cultures of their homes, during an exploratory study that investigated their contemporary social and cultural geographies. In recounting stories about a number of items and artefacts placed about their homes during the interviews, that they specifically related to their experiences as grandfathers, the men provided insight into the various ways in which ageing men position themselves in ambivalent ways in relation to cultural stereotypes about grandparenthood, masculinities and ageing. Moving beyond the surface of the objects on display, their discussions also revealed the complex ways in which the material cultures of their home spaces are shaped by, and reproduce, diverse family relationships and their associated politics. The article contributes to, and bridges agendas in social and cultural geography that examine the relationship between the shifting meanings of home for older men, the politics of attending to the material and both the amily and older masculine identities as spatial projects.

Materialities and imaginaries of home: Geographies of British returnees in later life

“…Anthropological work has long recognised the significance of materialities in understanding home (e.g., Miller, ) and Hoskins's () notion of “biographical objects” convinced me of the productiveness of allowing people to tell you about themselves through the significant things in their lives. Materialities have also become an important part of geographical theorisation of the home as a spatial project of identification and relationality (e.g., Gorman‐Murray, ; Morrison, ; Tarrant, ; Tolia‐Kelly, ; Walsh, , ), as well as literatures on migration and home (e.g., Brun & Fábos, ; Dudley, ; Gram‐Hanssen & Bech‐Danielson, ; Law, ). Direct focus on domestic possessions has also been significant in a number of studies with older non‐migrants, arising from the significance of “downsizing” and “divestment” events (e.g., Johnson & Bibbo, ; Luborsky et al., ; Marcoux, ; Nord, ).…”

“…There were no treasured souvenirs or “biographical objects” (Hoskins, ) to be used as a tool for selfhood in Barbara's flat, nor the objects displaying couple and family relations that are evident in existing geographical research (Gorman‐Murray, ; Morrison, ; Rose, ; Tarrant, ; Walsh, ). As such, Barbara resisted using her domestic space to display gender, class, nationality or relationships in socially proscriptive ways.…”

“…As the examples in this paper have demonstrated, ageing is one of these significant processes, clearly shaping experiences of migration and return. One already productive area of analysis in studies of ageing, including geography, is a focus on home (Mowl et al., ; Tarrant, ; Varley, ), but I would urge geographers to consider how this could be developed further to more broadly encompass the meaning and significance of home in relation to later life mobilities. Outlined in this paper, British returnees have talked about their home making not only in terms of more personal and corporeal experiences of ageing, but also in reference to the collective cultures of ageing they encounter and navigate around them.…”

“…(, p. 782), in their extensive review of two decades of research on ageing in Human Geography, is a focus on home, which they understand and situate as part of a broader orientation towards place, embodiment and the life course. Indeed, geographers have explored the significance of home in older age as a site of care provision (e.g., Dyck et al., ) and in relation to notions of ageing‐in‐place (e.g., Milligan, ), retirement transitions (Varley & Blasco, ), illness and impairment (Mowl et al., ; Varley, ) and grandparenting (Tarrant, ). In this paper, I contribute to these broader debates by engaging with Blunt and Dowling's () theoretical development of the “critical geographies of home,” demonstrating how this might re‐animate our understanding of the geographies of ageing in efforts to understand the everyday lives of migrants in later life.…”

“…26–29; drawing on Massey's relational theorisation of place). With this approach, the paper contributes to wider geographical literatures exploring the domestic space of home as a site for identities to be produced and intimate relations lived (e.g., Dowling & Power, ; Gorman‐Murray, ; Morrison, ; Rose, ; Tarrant, ; Walsh, ).…”