Paper short abstract:

Based on ethnographic work carried out in homes of upper and lower socioeconomic classes in the city of Santiago, this article analyzes how domestic practices, the way the home is produced, and the way it is maintained, can impinge on a greater or lesser propensity towards sustainable forms of life.

Paper long abstract:

This article explores the relationship between the aesthetic ecologies of homes in different socioeconomic sectors, and their disposition towards conserving or discarding objects. More specifically, it analyzes how domestic practices, the way the home is produced, and the way it is maintained, can impinge on a greater or lesser propensity towards sustainable forms of life. Based on ethnographic work carried out in homes of upper and lower socioeconomic classes in the city of Santiago, we could distinguish three relevant dimensions: materiality, functionality, and temporality. Whereas upper class homes are characterized by ecologies that are more closed and restrictive, that strongly resist sustainable practices, working class homes present more open aesthetics, with lineal temporalities and multifunctional spaces that explain to a great extent their propensity towards the coexistence of diverse materials and objects.