Afternoon of Alterity - Nazareth College

among humanity; the home is how people define who they arewithin society. There are two ways in which the home has beenviewed throughout history, as both a physical and an abstractspace. The physical space is defined as the actual home and thearea surrounding it. The definition of abstract space incorporatesthe emotional attachments and relationships that exist within acontained area, ultimately creating the psychological home. Thesetwo vastly different concepts of home suggest a shift in the wayhuman beings perceive their identity.The home, as a physical structure, was the dominant perspectiveof identity for the people who lived during the medieval period.The actual physical space of the living quarters was home; it definedwho the people were at the time. If a person was wealthy, it becameapparent through the size of the structure, contents held within,and the size of the feasts. The people who made up the medievalsociety placed much emphasis on the home. If a person did not havea physical home then they were considered to be exiled, monstrous,or other. The clear consensus of the people during the medievaltime was that without a physical home, a person was left without anidentity. The person was thought to have no connection to people,land, or structure. This idea becomes questionable as a shift occursbetween the physical and abstract space of home, as represented inthe contrast of medieval literature to the views of today.The idea of an abstract space is the present day perspective onwhat a home is and how people identify themselves in relation to ahome. The relationships among the people often recreate an essenceof the home. People define themselves through the emotional andphysical relationships that they develop with other people. Theserelationships and feelings are internalized; they are not somethingthat can be seen as part of the physical structure of the home, but theyare very much a real and significant component of the home. Peopleget the sense of being at home when they are able to experience a140 afternoons of alterity