What is in your drawers? Everyday objects in the home

Sophie Woodward

Chapter 23 in Research Handbook on the Sociology of Consumption, 2026, pp 276-284 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Objects in the home that are neither special nor used are poorly understood and often taken as emblems of excessive consumerism, materialism, wastefulness or a failure to declutter. This chapter deconstructs these discourses through close attention to what people keep in their homes and why. It draws on ethnographically informed research in the UK in people's homes, drawing on a range of creative and material methods, and focuses on ‘dormant things’ that are kept in drawers and attics. Drawing on Mary Douglas's theories of dirt and the moral orders of the home, the chapter outlines some of the challenges of understanding ordinary, unnoticed material culture, as well as how these objects matter in allowing people to have hope and be less wasteful.

Keywords: Home; Material culture; Creative methods; Clutter; Mary Douglas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035310500
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