Home and Work - Negotiating Boundaries through Everyday Life (Broché)

Do you put family photos on your desk at work ? Are your home and work keys on the same chain ? Do you have separate telephone books for colleagues and friends ? In Home and Work, Christens Nippert-Eng examines the intricacies and implications of how we draw the line between our jobs and our personal lives. Arguing that relationships between the two realms range from those that are highly "integrating" to those that are highly "segmenting" Nippert-Eng examines the ways people sculpt the boundaries between home and work.
With remarkable sensitivity to the symbolic value of objects and actions, Nippert-Eng explores the meaning of commuting habits and phone calls, clothing, wallets, lunches and vacations, and the places and ways in which we engage our family, friends, and coworkers. Through these avenues, she shows how occupations, organizations, work groups, spouses, children, and numerous other factors encourage us to develop lives that are more "integrating" or "segmenting" at any given time.
In clarifying what we take for granted, this book will challenge the way readers think about their personal and professional lives.