New domestic landscapes: a collaborative autoethnography in times of Coronavirus in Italy

Abstract

In this article we present the results of research on transformations of everyday domestic life during the first Italian coronavirus lockdown.
Covid-19 has shaken many of our convictions; it has “suspended time,” forcing us to live in a condition of uncertainty. People have had to re-think their priorities and the ways they live in and use domestic space, managing a relationship of power and agency between themselves and the house. The house, as a tyrannical agent, forced people to adapt to it, and to act as a consequence of changes dictated by Covid-19. This redefinition process has brought to light themes of great anthropological interest: new rituals, new definitions of cohabitation spaces, new needs and new fears.
As it was impossible to conduct classical fieldwork, we chose to use the method of collaborative autoethnography, involving a group of 30 students in our research. We were thus able to observe changing everyday habits and the reorganization of spaces for purposes of work or sociality, as well as changes in relations with the outside world, mediated by social networks.