“We’re all on the same boat, but we’re not the same passengers”: an exploration of the hidden and fragmented nature of the homeless subject

The subject of homelessness is one that has been covered extensively in social scientific research. Yet, it continues to remain hidden and fragmented, even to those researchers who have had significant experience working with this population. Using a combination of anthropological methodologies – oral history, archival research, and participant observation –, the current research project examines some of the reasons for this fragmentation of the homeless subject matter, first through an examination of the changes in homelessness literature over time, then via examination of parallels to other homelessness research and the life history of one homeless individual, an exploration of the ways in which shelters impact the lives of those residing within them, and finally through reflection on the ways in which ‘experience’ informs homelessness research