Behind Closed Doors

Abstract

In industrialized societies, most of what matters to people is happening behind the closed doors of the private sphere. The home itself has become the site of their relationships and their loneliness: the site of their broadest encounters with the world through television and the internet, but also the place where they reflect upon and face up to themselves away from others. Feminism has provided a complementary contribution in mediating our understanding of the basic relationship. Because feminist studies concentrated on the role of the housewife, there has been considerable research on activities such as food preparation and housework routines such as cleaning. As a result Christian households may engage in practices that, for them, express Christian compassion such as showing forgiveness through giving away possessions, that while entirely compatible with Christian teaching, are not usually found in other Christian communities.