mundanity

Mundanity is the quality or state of being mundane—the ordinary, the everyday, and the practical concerns of daily life. The term derives from Latin mundanus meaning worldly or terrestrial, and entered English via Old French to describe things that are not extraordinary, but commonplace and routine.

In social philosophy and anthropology, mundanity is a central object of study because routine acts, familiar places, and everyday conversations structure personhood and social order. The concept appears in theories of the everyday and habitus by scholars such as Henri Lefebvre, Michel de Certeau, and Pierre Bourdieu, who emphasize how mundane practices reproduce norms and power relations. Mundanity thus is not merely background; it helps organize identities, relationships, and social structures.

In art and literature, the mundane can be a source of meaning or critique. Some traditions celebrate the beauty of the ordinary, while others examine how routine life can obscure coercive structures or stifle creativity. The notion of the banality of everyday life and related ideas about the ethics of daily conduct draw attention to how routine actions can have profound implications for individuals and societies.

In psychology and cognitive science, mundanity relates to habit formation, attention, and the perception of time. Mindfulness and related practices encourage noticing ordinary phenomena, whereas fragmentation of attention can lead to alienation. Cultural trends such as minimalism or domestic aesthetics sometimes valorize the plain and routine as a deliberate or emancipatory stance.

See also: everyday life, the ordinary, banal, habitus, the banality of evil.