Ordinary, Everyday Life During Extraordinary Circumstances at a Domestic Violence Shelter

This chapter explores how ordinary, everyday life is practiced and negotiated by children and their mothers during extraordinary circumstances at a domestic violence shelter in Denmark. Ordinary, everyday life is something that is often taken for granted. However, for children and mothers who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances when their everyday lives have been uprooted after moving to a domestic violence shelter, it can be a struggle to hold on to a sense of ordinary, everyday life. This chapter shows how children and mothers tried to (re-)establish everyday life while staying at the shelter to create a sense of ontological security during challenging times, which illustrates the importance of maintaining a sense of ordinary life and normality in times of crisis. The chapter is based on data from eight months fieldwork at a domestic violence shelter in Denmark as well as interviews with ten children (aged 6-12 years).