Bodies and spaces within a Western urban context: examining the influence of the separation of public and private spheres on bodily comportment

International audienceRevisiting the main milestones of the slow and ineluctable separation between the private and public spheres in modern Western cities, I question the pertinence of these concepts for understanding Western 'urbanness' today. Without denying the difficulty that women face in moving through the metropolis, I will point out the initiatives that have been taken in the face of 'propriety'. I ask: to what extent have women's initiatives and small resistances/reticences been able to rework gender relations in large cities? From self-exclusion to the introduction of new positions in urban spaces, women's range of tactics is wider than theories of women's domination allow for. To what extent are young people's postures remoulding our urban environments