on my terms

The terms ‘domestic’ and ‘foreign’ can only be understood and defined in relation to one another. One cannot exist without the other. By claiming something 'domestic,' one concurrently deems an-other thing foreign. They are dialectically linked. They are not traits that are naturally inherent but rather are constructed through social and political forces. Thus, for the purpose of this thesis, domestic and foreign will be defined and understood in the sense of their actions. To domesticate(v) is to make something belong to what concerns oneself, to make it intimate, to make it familiar. To foreign(v) is to alienate, estrange, or decide something to be outside of the realm of what concerns oneself. To domesticate and to foreign are both actions that are inextricably linked to opinion and agenda. DOMESTICATED(adj) and FOREIGN(adj) are not then innate conditions but can only emerge through the acts of domesticating and foreigning. The domesticated condition interrelates with characteristics of inclusivity, belonging, security, affiliation, tameness, and the interior. The foreign condition associates with concepts of exclusivity, antipathy, insecurity, alienation, wildness, and the exterior.