More than putting on a performance in commercial homes: merging family practices and critical hospitality studies

Seymour, Julie

Abstract

Critical hospitality studies and family studies have shown a developing theoretical convergence predicated by the ‘social turn’ in the study of hospitality. Recent hospitality research on ‘Commercial Homes’ has drawn strongly on Goffman's concept of performance to examine both guest and host behaviours. In contrast, this article introduces the family studies concept of ‘displaying families’. This concept emphasises the family practices of host families as well as the commercial practices privileged in studies of hospitality. It also widens the often individualised focus on the (adult) host(s) to one that incorporates the host family. Drawing on empirical evidence, it appears that, for the hosts, displaying families in Commercial Homes is a complex and, apparently paradoxical, mix of presentation and reticence – the family has to be highly visible but not publicly privileged over guests. The inclusion of the concept of display will serve to illuminate further the arenas where family, commercial and hospitality practices intersect.

Citation

Seymour, J. (2015). More than putting on a performance in commercial homes: merging family practices and critical hospitality studies. Annals of leisure research, 18(3), 414-430. https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2015.1078247

• Acceptance Date: Jul 28, 2015
• Publication Date: Jul 3, 2015
• Deposit Date: Sep 15, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 23, 2017
• Journal: Annals of leisure research
• Print ISSN: 1174-5398
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 414-430
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11745398.2015.1078247
• Keywords: Family; Commercial homes; Performance; Displaying families; Theory
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/379095
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/11745398.2015.1078247
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Annals of leisure research on 01/09/2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/11745398.2015.1078247
• Contract Date: Nov 23, 2017