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Compassionate revanchism: The blurry geography of homelessness in the USA

Author

Listed:
  • Brian Hennigan

    (Maxwell School of Syracuse University, USA)

  • Jessie Speer

    (Syracuse University, USA)

Abstract

In this article we move beyond the binary division between care and punishment in urban studies of homelessness to examine how caring institutions are themselves crucial to the punitive and exclusionary project of capitalist urbanisation. Based on ethnographic and archival analysis of homelessness management in Fresno, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, we show how punitive measures and institutions of care often emerge simultaneously and operate in tandem as part of a broader scheme for urban revitalisation. Further, we show how caring institutions themselves often perform the function of controlling homeless people’s movements in the city, while punitive institutions adopt more caring tactics. Thus, we argue for a focus on how compassion and criminalisation are regularly blurred.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian Hennigan & Jessie Speer, 2019. "Compassionate revanchism: The blurry geography of homelessness in the USA," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(5), pages 906-921, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:56:y:2019:i:5:p:906-921
    DOI: 10.1177/0042098018762012
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    Cited by:

    1. Canham, Sarah L. & Donovan, Morrison & Rose, Jeff & Jones, Shannon & Garcia, Ivis, 2023. "Transportation needs and mobility patterns of persons experiencing homelessness following shelter decentralization," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    2. Joshua Evans & Jeffrey R Masuda, 2020. "Mobilizing a fast policy fix: Exploring the translation of 10-year plans to end homelessness in Alberta, Canada," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 38(3), pages 503-521, May.
    3. Nienke Fredrika Boesveldt & Dolly Loomans, 2024. "Housing the homeless: Shifting sites of managing the poor in the Netherlands," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(7), pages 1393-1410, May.

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