The Many Meanings of Home

Few ideas are as universally key, basic and primal as "home". Few ideas require more attention and new, critical re-examination in recognition of ongoing social change. In the post-pandemic and ecological reflection on how we live and approach "home" in its diverse definitions, engagement with this topic is only bound to grow in the future. This rapidly rising interest in the multidisciplinary field of housing studies is reflected also by our collection, which can be seen as an introduction to the entire research area thanks to the opening chapter, outlining its history and complexity. The following chapters by an international group of scholars representing different generations and methodological approaches examine some of the many meanings of home, houses or housing as they have been expressed in Western culture, not only across time but also across varied media: from traditional and digital theatre, through varied literary genres, to film and television, photography and street art.