Unroofed, Uprooted, and Unapologetic: Homelessness in Washington D.C. from 1890-1930

Summary

Homelessness is a historically contingent condition of the Capitalist Mode of Production. Yet, it is often constructed as a contemporary problem arising from individual failures and misfortunes. Historically, homelessness has proven to be a fluid category, defying institutional definitions and mitigative strategies. In this paper, I explore the socio-economic phenomena of homelessness in Washington D.C. from ca. 1890-1930. Public and private institutions dedicated to converting the homeless into normative capitalist agents dotted the Progressive Era landscape. Focusing on occupied spaces underneath overpasses, between alleys, and in wooded areas, I attempt to move beyond institutional categorizations that frequently frame research on homelessness. These alternative landscapes represent the material persistence of those who live and work at the edges of our economic system. Refusing to be defined by the needs of capital, these encampments offer alternative vantage points from which to understand homelessness that move away from explanations of individual ineptitude.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Left Of Capitalism: Archaeology, Homelessness, and the People's Critique

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 456