New urban spaces and cultural representations: Social imagineries, social-physical space, and homelessness

A trip to the library: homelessness and social inclusion

“…We extend her ideas in this research by pointing up both local and extra-local narratives and practices in a relation of ruling that translates homeless men's situation into the concerns of civic organizations and powers. Wright (2000), considering differences between the local and the extra-local in public deliberations about homelessness, has argued that 'city (specific) narratives are often in conflict with larger urban (universal) narratives that may talk of disorder and danger ' (2000: 51).…”

“…This link between representational and material spaces raises the importance of symbolic power and the ability of certain groups to access media and influence the framing of homelessness and associated interventions. Homeless people are often displaced from their own stories, being talked about rather than talked to (Hodgetts, Cullen and Radley 2005;Wright 2000).…”

Television Characterizations of Homeless People in the United Kingdom

“…Cast as pitiful cases, homeless people are encouraged to articulate lives that journalists think the public want to hear, and which are translated for public consumption by charity representatives and health professionals. In the process, homeless people are characterized according to the features of their lives that foreground "what they lack" (Wright, 2000). The basis of claims by these people to public attention is restricted to their personal problems (Sennett, 2003).…”

“…That is, members of more affluent sectors of society such as politicians, celebrities, business people, health professionals, and charity representatives are able to access the media and define the issue. Conversely, economically and socially disadvantaged homeless people are rarely afforded a voice regarding issues affecting their lives and thus face both material and symbolic inequalities (Wright, 2000). An analysis of media representations is crucial for documenting the negotiative processes through which prominent social actors shape the parameters of the debate regarding homelessness and the nature of responses to this pressing social issue.…”

Bum hunters : the simulations and neutralizations of negative actions taken against the homeless on YouTube.

“…The homeless are seen as a symptom of societal disorder, threatening and criminal in nature; because of these beliefs, efforts are taken to remove them from sight. When society fears the homeless, any interactions with the population could provoke fear or the threat of danger (Wright, 2000). Due to of the rise in numbers of persons experiencing homelessness, communities are working to restrict access that homeless individuals have to public spaces (Wachholz, 2005).…”