Anthropological Perspective On Homelessness

Research Question: In the eyes of the law and of the general public, how are homeless people stigmatized, discriminated against, or otherwise disenfranchised?

Dehavenon, Anna L, ed. There’s No Place like Home: Anthropological Perspectives on Housing and Homelessness in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey, 1996. Print. This source is a collection of articles compiled by Anna Lou Dehavenon to reveal and evaluate the causes and remedies for homelessness. By exploring efforts taken specifically to ameliorate the problem, the lack of American will power and support becomes evident. Every chapter is arranged in the same way, with each of the nine authors individually identifying their own perspectives on the answer to the

Due to the extensive use of multiple authors, there is also a higher level of bias. Despite the absence of objectivity in these essays, each of the authors prove to be well credible sources such as established researchers, anthropologists, and social workers. Although the information is slightly dated, it is still relevant to this day. In relation to the research question, this was a helpful source because it discussed previous attempts, successful and otherwise, to alleviate homelessness and the reasoning behind the results.

Link, Bruce G. Link G, Robert E Moore, and Ann Stueve. “The Stigma of Homelessness: The Impact of the Label ‘Homeless’ on Attitudes toward Poor Persons.” Social Psychology Quarterly 60.4 (1997): 323–337. Print. In this source, the authors discuss some of the harmful effects of discrimination on homelessness in America. It is a commonly held belief that all homeless people are poor, drug addicted criminals who suffer from mental illness. While this is sometimes the case, it is just as often just the vicious cycle of poverty in America. It is evident through this journal that equality will never ring out in the American nation. Society holds labels, definitions, and categorizations more important than the preservation of

It is illegal to beg, steal, squat, and trespass as a means to survive. However, it is impossible to avoid some degree of law breaking, which is a testament to the discrimination faced by the homeless in America. Despite the biases, this book still holds the integrity to be a reliable source. Written in 2012, the information presented is still relevant and provides new information relating to the research question.

Toro, Paul A, and Dennis M McDonell. “Beliefs, Attitudes, and Knowledge about Homelessness: A Survey of the General Public.” American Journal of Community Psychology 20.1 (1992): n. pag. Print. This journal offered another perspective of homelessness from the point of view of society. It was helpful because it clarified the role homelessness plays in society to this day. Quite a bit of emphasis was placed on how public moral and opinion can affect the community’s ability to fight the issue of homelessness.

This source provided a significant amount of new information to the research question. This prospective was helpful because it was much more realistic and described the cycle of homelessness in a pessimistic light. According to this article, homelessness is attributed in America due to the very stereotypes that other sources were attempting to discourage. This source is surprisingly relevant and credible for being nearly a quarter of a century