'Home' as an essentially contested concept and why this matters

Jed Meers

doi:10.1080/02673037.2021.1893281

'Home' as an essentially contested concept and why this matters

Jed Meers

Law

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper makes two interlinked arguments. First, that the “concept of home” – the focus of a burgeoning literature within housing studies – meets Gallie’s conditions for an “essentially contested concept.” The influential theory, drawn on throughout the social sciences, seeks to explain concepts for which disputes are intractable; they cannot be settled by empirical evidence or argument. Second, that this “essential contestability” is not just a theoretical label, it tells us something useful about how scholars can best employ the concept of home in their own work. The argument is put in three sections. The first provides a summary of Gallie’s theory. The second argues that the concept of home meets Gallie’s conditions for essential contestability. Finally, the third outlines the implications of the arguments put in the first two sections for scholars engaging with the concept of home.

Original language	English
Number of pages	18
Journal	Housing Studies
Volume	38
Issue number	4
Early online date	11 Mar 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2021.1893281
Publication status	Published - 20 Apr 2023

Bibliographical note

© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details

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10.1080/02673037.2021.1893281

Concept of home - Home as an Essentially Contested Concept
© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details
Accepted author manuscript, 385 KB

Cite this

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abstract = "This paper makes two interlinked arguments. First, that the “concept of home” – the focus of a burgeoning literature within housing studies – meets Gallie{\textquoteright}s conditions for an “essentially contested concept.” The influential theory, drawn on throughout the social sciences, seeks to explain concepts for which disputes are intractable; they cannot be settled by empirical evidence or argument. Second, that this “essential contestability” is not just a theoretical label, it tells us something useful about how scholars can best employ the concept of home in their own work. The argument is put in three sections. The first provides a summary of Gallie{\textquoteright}s theory. The second argues that the concept of home meets Gallie{\textquoteright}s conditions for essential contestability. Finally, the third outlines the implications of the arguments put in the first two sections for scholars engaging with the concept of home.",

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