March 25, 2009

Public vs. Private Space

At the beginning of the semester, we looked at public vs. private space, as well as how different individuals interact and experience different spaces depending on their gender and other identities. We looked at various articles, including Nancy Duncan's "Renegotiating Gender and Sexuality in Public and Private Spaces." The issues surrounding space as public and private are abundant, as well as the interconnections between spaces as some are seen as both public and private, or as public by some, and private by others. One important question to ask in any case, is how do we determine what is to be considered public space, which spaces are to be considered private, and who has the right to decide this?

Public spaces are usually considered to be places that large numbers of people occupy and carry out their business and other interactions in an "acceptable", considerate manor. Private spaces are usually spaces that involve privacy, intimacy, comfort, sense of freedom and liberation, etc. Public spaces (such as the workplace) continue to be viewed as masculine spaces, while private spaces (such as the home) are still seen as the female's domain (i.e., the "domestic sphere"). But what happens when something occurs to violate or damage such a private space? What happens when someone brings something otherwise considered "private" into the public? And what do we do when groups of individuals are visibly and notably excluded from certain spaces based upon their gender, sexuality, or race (as women and other minority groups often are)?


We were assigned collages as part of our course requirement, and I created a collage that represented both Nancy Duncan's article (previously mentioned) and Daphne Spain's article "Space and Status". The collage involves an interpretation of public and private spaces, as well as the exclusion that many women face on a daily basis from many public spaces throughout the world. I have included a photo of my collage for you to see yourself, to make your own judgements and interpretations of what public vs. private space and exclusion from space means to you.

1 comment:

  1. Hey I came across your blog as I was doing research for mine. I'm just a post old and I was wondering if I could use your poster for my next post! Full credit will be given to you and I could post a link to your blog.

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