From Bed to Bedroom: A Genealogical Study of Horizontality in Domestic Space

The emergence of the bedroom is neither incidental nor unintentional; it has a clear origin and a deliberate purpose. To deny this is to obscure the influence that its developed has on our lives. In his contribution, Constantinos Marcou examines the relationship between the bed and the room, aiming to uncover the processes that have shaped what we now recognize as the bedroom. Adopting a genealogical approach, Marcou argues that isolating a fragment of the domestic interior from the household as a whole is an elusive task, prompting the question: what significance does the horizontal architecture of the bed truly hold? How has the bedroom redefined the boundary between public and private spheres, and in doing so, reshaped family dynamics? Moreover, how did this specific room type become so thoroughly naturalized? What can we learn from its precursors? And how has this familiar, seemingly neutral, yet essential room type become a site of contention, where our very existence as political and social subjects is negotiated?