Peer-Shared Households, Quasi-Communes and Neo-Tribes

An increasing proportion of single young adults can expect to spend at least some of their 20-something years living in peer-shared households, defined here as households consisting of unrelated individuals living in self-contained houses and apartments. Indeed, many will also find themselves returning to such arrangements after living alone or with a partner. This article explores the nature of the relationships that exist between young people living in such households. First, using Maffesoli’s concept of ‘neo-tribalism’, the article explores the importance of proximity, shared space (both real and symbolic) and ritual to the everyday framing of relationships in peer-shared households. Second, the article considers the conditions under which some shared households may move beyond neo-tribalism to take on the characteristics of ‘quasi-communes’, marked by the institutionalization of friendship within a domestic setting. The article draws on empirical research involving 25 shared households in the south of England.