Abstract
Neoliberal policies in urban spaces are closely connected to geopolitical forces, including the global market economy and state governance strategies. Their impact reshapes the identity and sense of belonging of marginalized populations. In Australia, the lack of affordable housing and rising rents, driven by deregulation, privatization, and liberalization promoted through urban policy, have resulted in widespread evictions and the displacement of low-income residents, forcing some into homelessness. This study examines the nuanced ways in which novel and ambivalent forms of belonging and citizenship are forged within Sydney’s “homeless community,” which comprises both service providers and recipients, as well as the relationships among recipients themselves under neoliberal governance. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork at a central service site, including semi-structured interviews with 26 service providers and recipients, this study reveals that while acts of care at service sites foster temporary belonging and ontological security, they are simultaneously imbued with the neoliberal logic of individual autonomy, risk management, and self-responsibility. By foregrounding how ambivalent relations of appreciation, cynicism, and emotional restraint coexist with care, this study argues that a community under neoliberalism is constituted not solely by opposition or reinforcement but also by the tension between care and distance. It advances the understanding of horizontal citizenship by illustrating that even in contexts where solidarity is attenuated, loose and transient forms of togetherness can serve important political and existential functions, operating as crucial buffers against the isolating effects of neoliberal restructuring.
Presenters
Ritsuko KuritaAssociate Professor, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Department of English, Kanagawa University, Japan
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Homelessness, Displacement, Sense of Belonging, Citizenship, Neoliberalism
