Dwelling in Mobile Times : Places, Practices and Contestations

In an era of increasing mobilities, places of residence are still vital. Unlike commuting, migrating or travelling, dwelling usually evokes – at least in modern Western thought – the idea of an immobile, private place to rest. This book explores the places, spaces and practices of dwelling in mobile times, and considers dwelling under the umbrella of broader transformations in society. The manifestations of these transformations are carved out on the level of everyday practices and experiences.

Bringing together eight case studies from Europe, the USA and Asia on subjects such as gentrification, homelessness and displaced persons, multi-local and diasporic lifeworlds, professional elites, and tourism, the book explores various and complex entanglements of mobilities and dwelling in detail. In doing so, the contributors critically analyse who may be, or has to be, mobile under which circumstances at present. This book thus demonstrates that mobility is more than movement between localities, and that to dwell is more than to be at a locality. Instead, mobilities and dwelling are both shaped and challenged by strong but shifting power relations and are thus deeply contested. This book was originally published as a special issue of Cultural Studies.