Metaphors in Homelessness Discourse and Research: Exploring “Pathways”, “Careers” and “Safety Nets” 1

Exploring the Hidden Nature of Gambling Problems among People Who Are Homeless

“…Fopp (2009) noted that policy related to homelessness services makes it clear that assistance is ''not for everyone'' but for those who demonstrate their ''deservedness'' (p. 280). Seemingly well aware of this requirement, service users described actively managing information about themselves in order to establish a position that might minimise their visible failings and demonstrate their deservedness as responsible and worthy individuals.…”

“…(Service provider 3) For these service providers,''responsible'' identities were considered more amenable and desirable than ''spoiled'' or problematised identities (Giddens, 1991;Goffman, 1963;Rose, 1999). Such expressions suggest an understanding by service providers, not only of their power in these relationships, but also of their positions as judgement-makers regarding service users worthiness as assistance recipients (Fopp, 2009;Rose, 1999). Lipmann (2009) also noted the way expectations of responsibility and compliance with preferred identities and discourses of worth are placed on people who are homeless and seeking assistance.…”

“…Consequently, service users in this study often remained silent on issues that could impact negatively on their level of assistance and have a negative impact on their identities and lives. The power relations and social inequities inherent in the relationship between service providers and service users were highly influential in shaping service users' responses and their nondisclosure, as similar research has found (Fopp, 2009;Hoffman & Coffey, 2008). For instance, Fopp (2009) argued that assistance is ''intended for those .…”

Textual and Linguistic Analysis

“…So, for example, in a review of academic literature on homelessness, Fopp (2009) asks how the use of language in academic research contributes to shaping a more general understanding of why and how homelessness occurs. In so doing, he argues that the metaphors which housing researchers use to explain the causes and dynamics of homelessness are at odds with the actual experience of homelessness.…”

Navigating the field : an examination of rhetorical spaces in the Journal of sex research.

“…4 In doing so, metaphors are often theory-constitutive (Baake, 2003;Dexter & LaMagdeleine, 2002;Greenwood & Bonner, 2008;Reeves, 2005). Metaphors also structure research designs and drive the conceptualization and operationalization of key terms under study (Fopp, 2009). 5 Scientific and medical metaphors, as objects of analysis and intervention, provide insight into knowledge construction and comprehension.…”