[Air-L] CFM—Symbolic Interaction and the Homeless

[Sarina Chen]

Greetings!


The persistence of homelessness has attracted the attention of symbolic
interactionists.  Such attention acknowledges the obvious obdurate issues
of poverty and inequality, and also keys on correlated issues pertaining to
experiential trauma, substance abuse, mental illness, and the lack of
affordable housing. Interactionists have also utilized the strengths of the
perspective to examine prejudicial standpoints (that stigmatize the
homeless), how the homeless manage their lived experiences (and deal with
particular impressions), and agency among the homeless as they participate
in the construction and reconstruction of their environments. From an
interactionist perspective, homelessness is as much a cultural issue as
much as it is an economic reality.



Additionally, the variegated issues associated with homelessness became
heightened in June, 2024, when the US Supreme Court ruled that state and
local laws can penalize homeless people for sleeping outdoors.  The ruling
amplified the problem of interpreting what constitutes public vs. private
spheres of existence and, borrowing from Mary Douglas (1966, *Purity and
Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo*. London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul), what is considered clean vs. dirty living. The
right of the state to penalize those defined as homeless and perceived as
out of place triggered a great deal of criticism. However, the subsequent
acceptance of the Court's decision (and the enforcement of laws) also
seemed, from the perspective of some activists, as a sign of societal
apathy.



In effect, symbolic interactionists are equipped with theoretical
sophistication and methodological depth to tackle issues surrounding
homelessness. In addition to conceptual dichotomies (e.g., public/private,
clean/dirty, self /other, as well as self and society) an interactionist
focus on identities, experiences, and histories (personal, social, and
institutional) provides the tools for complex analysis and description.
With this understanding, *Studies in Symbolic Interaction* invites
submissions of abstracts that address issues surrounding homelessness.
Issues to be addressed include, but not limited to:



Public vs. private in homelessness

Clean vs. dirty existence in homelessness

Self vs. other in homelessness

Self vs. society in homelessness

How the homeless define their existence

The lived experience and meaning of being homeless

Crimes against the homeless

Apathy associated with the existence of homelessness

Substance abuse and homelessness

Mental illness and homelessness

Shelters and homelessness

Institutional efforts to clear encampments

Mobile technologies and the homeless



Please send an abstract of no more than 750 words to Shing-Ling Sarina Chen
(sarina.chen at uni.edu) by *January 15, 2025.*



If the abstract is selected for inclusion, the final manuscript is due *July
31, 2025*.



Looking forward to hearing from you.



Sincerely,



Shing-Ling Sarina Chen

*Studies in Symbolic Interaction*