Everyday life in the real world

Abstract

This paper aims to be both an example of how one may interpret an aspect of the ‘politics’ of everyday life and a critical comment on some of the emerging orthodoxy around the academic study of everyday life. These two themes are intertwined here but in summary the paper argues the following: • That the politics of everyday life are just as fruitfully approached through empirical study as they are via philosophical or cultural contemplation. • That the often stated idea that a ‘critique’ of everyday life can be readily built on the foundations of some small detail or other requires qualification. • That the orthodox distinction between everyday life and non-everyday life in terms of work and non-work realms needs qualification. Specifically, the paper concerns an empirical description, and subsequent analysis, of a series of everyday events, their effects and significant conse- quences; it describes changes, and the effects of these changes, occurring at Nottingham railway station over a short period of time (4 weeks from 29/09/02 onwards)