Formalizing Marginality: Comparative Perspectives On The 19th Century Irish Home

Summary

The construction of a house can be as much an expression of localized identity as the items contained within. Whether individualized or based on a common layout, these foundations of the "home" play a role in materializing the larger narratives occuring within a society. One of these narratives revolves around the representation of economic "cores" verses "margins" through built space. An example of this dichotomy is the introduction of the Congested District Board standard for housing into the Irish communities in the late 19th century, which had discernable local effects on residential life, human health and community infrastructure. This paper focuses on these material differences between island and mainland 19th century houses using historical data and case studies from Ireland, demonstrating the interplay between these lived spaces and the broader social question of "what defines the edge"?

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Life on the Edge: Past and Present Perceptions of People on the Margins   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 729