Review: Ursula Offenberger (2016). Geschlecht und Gemütlichkeit. Paarentscheidungen über das beheizte Zuhause [Gender and Coziness. The Decision of Couples About the Heated Home]

Abstract

In her monograph, Ursula OFFENBERGER addresses the negotiation of heating technology arrangements in a family home as a form of construction of the home and domestic coziness in the context of gender relations. Her empirical research method is aligned with grounded theory methodology (GTM) and situational analysis. She elaborates a complex network of actions and meanings on the social microlevels and macrolevels that are implicated in mundane issues such as domestic heating. This review critically discusses a number of methodological issues arising from the investigation. The author provides interesting solutions to representing and modeling problems characteristic of GTM studies.