Revising the Polanyi's principle of householding. A contribution from the socioeconomics of intergenerational homesharing

This text rethinks, among the four pieces of Karl Polanyi's forms of economic integration, the one that has been least studied: householding. Our contribution is in line with recent research in socioeconomics that calls for an... [ view full abstract ]

This text rethinks, among the four pieces of Karl Polanyi's forms of economic integration, the one that has been least studied: householding. Our contribution is in line with recent research in socioeconomics that calls for an "extended concept of householding" (Hillenkamp 2013) – i.e. overcoming the idea of autarchy with which it has long been associated. We follow the idea of some sort of philia as an alternative institutional structure of householding – i.e. a common identity making sense of the existence of a domestic group. However, and this is at the core of our argument, common identity does not necessarily refer to kinship or to any inherited belonging. Our approach consists in having the Polanyian theory discussing with the fieldwork. The latter is articulated around a new non-profit organization active in the area of intergenerational homesharing. Such a dialogue between the concept of householding and the field is facilitated by the use of two intermediate concepts that are used to analyse intergenerational homesharing: support to self-production and care. This then helps to build a larger and more comprehensive understanding of common identity. By updating the principle of householding, we seek to enhance its relevance and to provide a full picture of the plurality of livelihood in contemporary economies.