Bare fridges and burnt tortillas: Conflictual moments in the making of coupledom

Khanijou, Ratna; Cappellini, Benedetta; Hosany, Sameer

Abstract

This article investigates how conflicts emerge and unfold amongst newly cohabiting couples during the daily practices of making and sharing dinner. Adopting a ‘moments approach’, findings from an ethnographic study involving twelve couples reveal how conflictual moments emerge from clashes between individuals’ dispositions regarding responsibilities (who does what), standards (what is appropriate) and techniques (how things are done). Clashes are reflected upon through a process of zooming in and zooming out where conflicting gendered, classed, and cultural dispositions emerge. At the conceptual level, conflictual moments are identified as epistemic and affective scenarios revealing broader structural and socio-cultural inequalities permeating domestic life of heterosexual couples.

Citation

Khanijou, R., Cappellini, B., & Hosany, S. (online). Bare fridges and burnt tortillas: Conflictual moments in the making of coupledom. Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385251331388

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 10, 2025
• Online Publication Date: May 10, 2025
• Deposit Date: Mar 3, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 15, 2025
• Journal: Sociology
• Print ISSN: 0038-0385
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-8684
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00380385251331388
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3670016