Second Homes and Rural Institutional–Spatial Restructuring: An Analysis of Lived Experience, Spatial Production and Capital Reconfiguration

Articles in Press

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

2 Corresponding Author: Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

10.22080/ssi.2026.30833.2362

Abstract

Objectives: The expansion of second homes in villages surrounding urban areas has become one of the most significant drivers of social and spatial rural restructuring in recent decades. This article aims to understand how this process is lived and experienced in the everyday lives of rural residents through an ethnographic study of three villages—Eskī-Mahalleh, Oji-Abad, and Alamdeh-e Sharqi. Methods: The theoretical framework integrates three complementary perspectives: Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capital and habitus, and Lerfald’s approach to rural restructuring. Empirical data were collected through participant observation, field notes, and in-depth interviews with local residents and were analyzed using qualitative coding procedures. Results: The findings show that second homes are not merely outcomes of rural restructuring but have themselves become key drivers of its reproduction. This process is observable across four interrelated levels: the macro level (economic, demographic, and policy restructuring), the spatial level (the re-production of rural space), the social level (the reconfiguration of capital and the transformation of habitus), and the micro level (the lived experiences of rural residents). Conclusion: The results indicate that rural restructuring is experienced through shifts in livelihoods, the emergence of spatial and social inequalities, the weakening of local social capital, and the transformation of place-based identities. By emphasizing an ethnographic approach, the article demonstrates that analyses of rural institutional transformations remain incomplete without serious attention to the lived experiences of local actors.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Sociology of Social Institutions

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 August 2026

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics