Analysis of Social Exclusion and Homelessness

Extract

[...] Thanks to a participatory observation and a field survey, the author distinguishes what he calls the 'mutations' of public space. Thus, for him, his central questioning will therefore revolve around the tolerance that society has towards this particular social group that forces them to live permanently on the streets. In fact, the distinction between public and private space remains in place (p.145) as well as the evolution of society tends towards a control of public spaces which are traditionally places where the homeless can find a refuge. [...]

[...] 'The dissuasive city: the reverse of solidarity with the homeless',Spaces and Societies, vol. 116-117, no pp. 143-157. The author, born in 1949, is a French anthropologist specializing in the issue of homelessness, and is a lecturer in anthropology at the University of Paris 8. As such, he is a member of the Laboratory of Urban Anthropology (LAU-IIAC/Cnrs-Ehess, UMR 8177). He is notably the author with Patrick Gaboriau of a book that has made a date on the same theme of homelessness, Ethnology of the Homeless. [...]

[...] * Critical Analysis and Personal Reflection (to build a commentary - analytical approach The article by Daniel Terrolle, just like the rest of his work a priori, it seems indispensable to know in the context of our professional training as it remains fundamental to know the entire social practices implemented around populations in social difficulty. In fact, the unveiling of public space control practices and dissuasion maneuvers shows us a city made of tensions, of struggles between social categories that do not want to see themselves. Even if the author takes the example of his research field, namely Paris, he only takes the example of large French agglomerations. In this, we do not know if in small towns or medium-sized towns, we find these same logics. [...]

[...] since the 1980s to the present day) regarding the treatment of homeless people through urban furniture. For Daniel Terrolle, since the 1980s, we have witnessed a conscious desire on the part of local authorities to prevent homeless people from enjoying freedom in the city by removing permanent parking areas and increasingly monitoring public space, which is becoming increasingly privatized. In parallel, the hypocritical situation of assistance to homeless people allows them to be kept in centers, away from public view. [...]

[...] These heuristic perspectives are interesting both as a citizen and as a future professional insofar as they make it possible to establish a report on a social reality. Therefore, the perspectives around assistance to people in difficulty push us to envision support actions in the face of this logic of exclusion from public space. The global theme of social exclusion remains major for us as a future professional in that it remains central to our society. Although Daniel Terrolle's article dates back to 2004, it remains as timely as ever. [...]