Dwelling Under Duress

The notion and structure of Interiority is increasingly important in relation to global politics. What happens when borders and boundaries are fragmented turned inwards and brought into private spaces? What do we understand about dwelling in the face of conflicting claims to the same homes or homelands or the mobile nature of contemporary society?

The power to control the private domain is everything in a world where the distinction between outside (wandering without reason) and inside (safe dwelling) has become essential. Soldiers occupying a house and living in close proximity with the owners is not unusual in a conflict zone. Over time, an uneasy and troubled intimacy may develop between occupiers and occupied. In such circumstances, people exist within two cultures, as a second, usually alien culture, is spread over an existing one. For the occupied, daily routines and activities are curtailed, moulded and adapted to a changed environment. For the occupiers, energy and resources are expended on enforcing rules and maintaining a 'protective skin'.

Christine McCarthy suggests that key words for interiority are 'control' and 'regulation'. She states that interiority has a vested interest in regulation, which exteriority is not concerned with, because "regulation conditions habitation". This paper will explore aspects of interiority using a story of an invasion of domestic space and the resulting insecurity suffered. It will address questions about dwelling in an increasingly uncertain world, such as where the boundaries are between public and private, inside and outside in situations organised around separation, seclusion and control.