70

When two cohabiting partners separate, they face the problem of dividing up the furniture and domestic appliances. However, we do not readily consider that families recombining face a similar problem. Having two of the same thing (two stoves, two sofas, etc.) means making choices. How do the new partners manage this delicate problem, which is not strictly about who gets to keep what but rather the more difficult question of what should be kept. This paper focuses on the decisive moment, the blind spot of family recomposition, when the future is determined as much in terms of the uses of space as of conjugal and family integration.