Donner voix à l’espace physique : lorsque la chambre perpétue et écrit l’histoire de l’adolescent au travers d’objets significatifs. Le cas des jeunes en itinérance géographique

Abstract

Leaving a country every three or four years, packing and unpacking suitcases and boxes, is one aspect demanded of certain professions with repeated international relocations. Families in geographical transitions take various objects with them. Beyond the utilitarian function of a certain number of these items, our research highlights the particular place they can occupy in adolescent development. They soon become significant objects. We have observed that these significant objects are mostly located in the child’s room. We can thus question the relationship that unites the child with this singular physical space: what perception do children have of their room? What happens when they move? How do they appropriate a new place? We then question more specifically the role of significant objects. They function as a resource of temporal and spatial durability, and this despite the regular changes of physical environment. The meaning that these cultural elements take on can be divided into four functions: mnemonic, emotional, social, and anchoring. Our article highlights how significant objects refer to a particular history, that of the individual, and thus contribute to a feeling of identity.

Keywords

• conference
• object
• bedroom
• geographic mobility
• adolescence