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Material Citizenship: An ethnographic study exploring object–person relations in the context of people with dementia in care homes
Author(s) -
Lee Kellyn,
Bartlett Ruth
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
sociology of health and illness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1467-9566
pISSN - 0141-9889
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9566.13321
Subject(s) - citizenship , materiality (auditing) , ethnography , sociology , dementia , object (grammar) , context (archaeology) , participant observation , identity (music) , everyday life , public relations , psychology , aesthetics , social science , medicine , politics , political science , anthropology , law , paleontology , philosophy , linguistics , disease , pathology , biology
Materiality has become an increasingly important topic in sociological studies of health care. How objects support the identity of people with dementia in care homes is an emerging area. While early research has tended to focus on sentimental or cherished items (such as photographs or keepsakes), the present study focused on functional objects (such as curling tongs or a hairdryer) as a mechanism to actualise citizenship. This article presents findings from an ethnographic study into the everyday experiences of people with dementia living in a residential care home in southern England. Drawing on a framework analysis of observations of daily life, object‐elicitation interviews with residents, in‐depth interviews with staff and relatives and documentary research, the findings demonstrate that object relations are a critical but overlooked site for citizenship. Residents are rarely involved in decision‐making relating to their personal possessions, lack control over objects and are often discouraged from material interactions important to the maintenance and cultivation of identity. We introduce a new concept ‘material citizenship’ to advance thinking and practice in this area and argue that it is valuable for care practices to combine a material citizenship approach with existing care practices; thus, elevating the importance of object–person relations in dementia care.