“A Way of Living”

Abstract

This dissertation examines the ways in which homeownership ideology was projected, regulated and constructed by <em>LIFE Magazine </em>and how this compared with other homeownership ideologies (or projected lifestyles) of its time (1936 – 1972). For a better understanding of how <em>LIFE</em> constructed its representations, this study also incorporates other sources such as literature, advertisements and articles from other magazines and newspapers.<br /> Overall, American society underwent a range of transformative processes between the 1930s and 1970s, which found their way into the ideological constructions of homeownership. This thesis illustrates how projections of homeownership within <em>LIFE</em> “fleshed out” myths and values that shape the nation’s social and cultural hierarchy such as race, class, and gender. Therefore, this analysis of representations of homeownership within <em>LIFE</em> includes an in-depth discussion of U.S.-American constructions of race, class, and gender. Class, in particular, plays an important role in this analysis, focusing in particular on Thorstein Veblen’s concept of “conspicuous consumption”.<br /> Much has happened and much has changed to and within American society since <em>LIFE</em> published its last issue. Yet, as found within this dissertation, there are certain parallels between representations of homeownership within <em>LIFE</em> and representations of homeownership today. In conclusion, this means that looking at representations of homeownership in <em>LIFE</em> Magazine does not only provide insights into that particular era’s cultural discourse. Rather, the ways in which homeownership was projected within <em>LIFE</em> – either as a condensation of symbols and messages formulated elsewhere or created by the magazine’s editorial staff – have survived even the latest economic downturn and remain in place. Within its conclusion, this dissertation illustrates how these representations, therefore, make up the foundation of modern-day U.S homeownership ideology.