At home in the world: the moral and political language of homelessness
Andrew Hollows
RMIT University and Hanover Welfare Services
Contact Email: ahollows
hanover.org.au
Inspired by the political theorist Hannah Arendt, this paper poses the question: 'what does it mean to think morally and politically about homelessness?' Recent research by Hanover Welfare Services, a prominent Melbourne-based homeless agency, confirms how moral judgements about homelessness continue to be informed by a stereotypical focus on individual attribution and responsibility. Following Arendt, this paper proposes that it is necessary to ‘think well’ about homelessness - namely critically and empathetically as a necessary precursor to social action - and outlines an alternate moral and political lexicon. The suggested lexicon revolves around three related concepts: the homeless experience rather than the ‘homeless’; the ‘home’ and what the home provides rather than shelter; and institutional rather than just individual attribution and responsibility.
Paper
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Hollows_94a.pdf
Hollows_94b.pdf
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