Description
Book SynopsisThis edited volume illuminates critical research issues through the particular lens of homelessness, bringing together some of the leading scholars in the field, from an array of disciplines and perspectives, to explore this condition of marginalization and the ethical dilemmas that arise within it. The authors provide insights into the realities and challenges of social research that will guide students, activists, practitioners, policymakers, and service providers, as well as both novice and seasoned researchers in fields of inquiry ranging from anthropology and sociology to geography and cultural studies. Although many texts have explored the subject of homelessness, few have attempted to encapsulate and examine the complex process of researching the issue as a phenomenon unto itself. Professional Lives, Personal Struggles examines the many challenges of conducting ethical research on homelessness, as well as the potential for positive change and transformation, through the deeply personal accounts of scholars and advocates with extensive experience working in the field.
Trade ReviewProfessional Lives, Personal Struggles provides a nuanced examination of the ethical issues faced by ethnographic researchers who work with or on behalf of people who are dispossessed. Even experienced researchers are likely to find the analyses consistently thought-provoking and at times original. Novice researchers might particularly benefit from insightful discussion of the ways in which others have come to grips with the quandaries they are sure to face. * European Journal of Homelessness *
In a world of mindless tweets, Facebook 'over-sharing' and Kim Kardashian, it is heartening to know that sociologists still care about something that matters: the homeless, the wretched of our American earth. Let us praise the authors of this volume for keeping their story alive. -- Mark S. Hamm, author of In Bad Company: America’s Terrorist Underground
This timely and important book looks at homelessness from the relatively neglected perspective of research ethics. Building on academic and experiential knowledge from an impressive array of scholars in the field, the book makes a strong case that ethical concerns are an emergent and persistent part of researching any marginal population, and the homeless in particular. -- Amir Marvasti, Penn State Altoona
Table of ContentsForeword by Jeff Ferrell Introduction: Rediscovering Homelessness . . . and Ourselves by Randall Amster Part 1: Advocacy and Identity Chapter 1: Social Justice, Ethics, and Advocacy in Street Research: A Personal Accounting by Talmadge Wright Chapter 2: The Advocate Researcher by Rob Rosenthal Chapter 3: Homelessness and Drag by Kathleen Arnold Chapter 4: Writing the Streets: Dilemmas of Depiction by Trenna Valado Part 2: Relationships and Ethics Chapter 5: Planning and Managing Ethical Dilemmas in Homelessness Research by Michael Rowe Chapter 6: ‘Buddy Researcher’? Prospects, Limitations, and Ethical Considerations in Ethnographic Research on Homeless People in Berlin by Jürgen von Mahs Chapter 7: Ethics and Studying Homelessness: Tales from the Field by Kurt Borchard Chapter 8: Weapons of the Weak, by the Weak, and for the Weak: Negotiating Power Between and Among Homeless Persons and Service Providers by Julie Adkins Part 3: Research and Transformation Chapter 9: Do We Really Need More Research on Homelessness? An Autoethnographic Exploration of Ethics, Advocacy, and Exasperation by Vin Lyon-Callo Chapter 10: Homelessness as ‘Internal Displacement’: Scholarship and Activism in Post-Katrina New Orleans by Randall Amster Chapter 11: Do (No) Harm: Homelessness and Personal Transformation by David Cook Chapter 12: On the Politics and Ethics of ‘Using’ ‘the Homeless’ in Social Justice Research by Don Mitchell and Lynn Staeheli Conclusion: Synthesizing the Personal and Professional by Trenna Valado
