Domesticatessuch

Domesticatessuch is a term used in speculative anthropology and cultural studies to describe a generalized framework for analyzing how human communities domesticate not only animals and crops but also objects, technologies, and practices that originate as external or “wild” phenomena. The concept emphasizes social processes such as labor organization, markets, institutions, media discourse, and governance that convert unfamiliar entities into familiar, usable, and normative elements within everyday life.

Etymology and scope: Domesticatessuch is a portmanteau of domesticate and such, signaling a rhetorical and methodological approach to categorizing and shaping what counts as domestic. Since its appearance in theoretical discussions in the 2010s, the term has been used to explore both material culture and technocultural adaptation, encompassing living beings, artifacts, environments, and intangible practices that become integrated into domestic settings or routines.

The framework focuses on mechanisms that produce domestication, including labeling, provisioning, surveillance, incentive structures, and the discursive work that defines what is considered appropriate for the domestic sphere. It also analyzes power dynamics in whose voices and interests determine which entities are domesticated and how this status is maintained or contested. Case studies may examine the domestication of urban spaces, consumer technologies, or ecological processes that become normalized within daily life.

Criticism and reception: Some scholars warn that the term can risk over-generalization or obscure hierarchies among humans, nonhumans, and environments. Others view domesticatessuch as a valuable interdisciplinary lens that links anthropology, sociology, and science and technology studies to illuminate how domesticity is continually constructed.