Paper short abstract:

This paper addresses the difficult heritage of homelessness, including its distinctive culture, relationships with the rules of academic researchers and professionals regarding who participates in and/or takes ownership of the heritage, and efforts to ameliorate and/or eradicate the “problem.”

Paper long abstract:

Homelessness is a worldwide problem that many people would prefer to overlook. Although reliable numbers are often elusive, estimates are that 150 million people (or 2 percent of the world’s population) are experiencing homelessness at any one time. Nevertheless, these millions are often not regarded as members of distinctive communities with a shared cultural heritage—as defined by the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This paper will first establish the elements that constitute the shared identity and difficult heritage of those who experiencing homelessness: their skills, traditions, specialized knowledge, resourcefulness, attitudes toward work, and codes of behavior that not only define and identify them as a distinctive group, but that also meet their needs as members of cultural communities that are struggling to survive.

The paper will also explore the positions of academic researchers, municipal officials, social workers, and community advocates regarding the rules of power and participation among those who are experiencing homelessness. Given that there are worldwide efforts to eradicate homelessness by finding affordable housing for everyone, what attempts (if any) should be made to sustain the distinctive culture and shared heritage of homelessness? Should a culture of extreme hardship be encouraged to continue and to sustain itself into the future, even if this may mean breaking the “rules” of progress and amelioration? How have researchers and professionals allowed or enabled homeless individuals to participate in and to take ownership of their own communities and their shared heritage?