Caravans

Hege Høyer Leivestad is Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Anthropology at Stockholm University, Sweden.

"A fascinating ethnographic insight into the European world of camping. Leivestad makes some important anthropological reflections about home, class and imaginaries of (potential) mobility. - Noel B. Salazar, University of Leuven, BelgiumStuck at home or on the move? This study of caravan life provides fascinating new insights into the ambiguities of mobility: an intriguing analysis of how dreams of freedom are interwoven with seemingly mundane materialities. - Orvar Löfgren, Lund University, SwedenA magnificent book that sets a new standard for ethnographic research in contemporary Europe. In this beautifully written work, Leivestad captures how her subjects were and are experimenting with new forms of intimacy, belonging, and community. What emerge are narratives about a Europe that they and we are struggling to understand and to inhabit. - Douglas R. Holmes, State University of New York at Binghamton, USA"

• AcknowledgementsCaravan and Camping GlossaryIntroduction: Standing StillChapter 1 Caravans: ‘These cupboards look like plastic’Chapter 2 Camp: ‘You like to be visible’Chapter 3 Circumstances: ‘Why don’t we just sell the house, all our things and leave?’Chapter 4 Containers: ‘You won’t even see there’s a caravan in there’Chapter 5 Community: ‘We have found here what we can’t find at home anymore’Chapter 6 Conclusion: Troubling TemporalitiesEpilogueReferencesNotes