V2326608630 Ilinca Muresan Moldoveanu (Studienr. 73628) / Daniel Vinas Malo (Studienr. 73645) 12.11.

2023

Table of contents

Title
Problem Formulation
Abstract
Short Introduction to the Topic
Theory
Methodology
Bibliography
Questions for the opponent group

TITLE Castleless Hamlets: narratives on the everyday life of the homeless population of Copenhagen.

PROBLEM FORMULATION How does the complexity of Roma identities affect their experiences and
perspectives of life, and how do their responses to oppression shape their identities?

ABSTRACT

The Roma population in Europe has been historically persecuted for different reasons. Roma's unique ethnic and
cultural identity has often been othered by the citizens of European countries, starting an isolation process that
continues to our days. Their arrival in Europe from the Indian subcontinent came with hostilities and
discrimination making their dispersion across Western and Eastern Europe a boundaryless situation. To integrate
into the communities established already in the European continent was not easy, from the mediaeval progroms
that terrorised these communities passing through the calculated annihilation perpetrated by the German
National Socialist regime to the contemporary clandestinity they suffer from, Roma people have seen shaped
their identities by characteristics such as nomadism, bohemian ideals, sense of community, institutional and
social discrimination etc.

The purpose of the investigation is to decipher the circumstances that create a marginalised social narrative of
the homeless population. Moreover, the inclusion of practices such as observant participation and other forms of
inquiry will be part of an incisive approach towards the subjects of the study. The investigation will highlight the
problems, hopes, insights, and justifications for the complex circumstances that have situated homelessness to be
frowned upon; and will reflect on a more just collective consciousness where the phenomena of homelessness is
to be rethink to situate this population at risk under a new, more adequate comprehension. The outcomes of this
investigation seek to allow us to have a better understanding of the contemporary clashes and emergencies
between the so-called “out-groups” and the “inside-groups” ( or the ordinary and extraordinary in a symbolic
context) and the social narratives that have been constructed to deliver identities, reflections, and social
empowerment of the homeless population.

SHORT INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

The most recent statistics place the homeless population in the Kingdom of Denmark to be between 10000 to
15000 individuals, both of foreign origin and native Danish ancestry; some of them are stationary (meaning that
they have no intention or chance of leaving Denmark) and others are seasonal (their situation of homelessness is
 V2326608630 Ilinca Muresan Moldoveanu (Studienr. 73628) / Daniel Vinas Malo (Studienr. 73645) 12.11.2023

inside the spectrum of migratory economic factors). Among these Hjemløsen (Danish for Homeless) there are a
multiplicity of social and cultural backgrounds, diverse exclusion reasons, and quotidian necessities (e.g. sleep,
nourishment, safety etc.) that must be valued from each individual's perception of their own unique homelessness
state in order to facilitate a subjectivation of the question of homelessness as a social problematic.

Fig.1. Lykke, A. (2022) Homelessness on a municipal scale. Royal Danish Academy.

As observed in the figure above, the concentration of the homeless population is larger in the central areas of the
Greater Copenhagen area; with the inclusion of certain areas that are central hubs of transportation inside the
Inner City. Most notably, the Central Station, Vesterbro, Norrebro, and Norreport are places where the homeless
population is to be found in great numbers. The Roma population, established in Denmark since their arrival in
the 16th century, has a long history on a national scale. Due to the anti-discrimination acts of Danish statistics
on national population, the Roma population is not quantifiable based on their ethnicity, although some statistics
show that around 5000 Roma live in Denmark.

THEORY

Among the theories we would like to include as part of the investigation, we would like to make use of the
Subhumanisation Theories, Narrative psychology, Psychology of everyday life, and The subjective
groundedness of the elementary cyclicality of the conduct of everyday life.

The processes in the subhumanisation of the homeless population: Subhumanism is an

Anglo-Saxon/Germanic-crafted term. The first appearance of the term “underman” is to be found in the 1922 work
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of Ku Klux Klan American author Lothrop Stoddard The Revolt Against Civilisation, in which an “underman” is not
fixed to racial stereotyping but to condemn those unfit to function in a “civilised society”. The coining of the term
“Üntermensch” (German word for Subhuman) that applied to certain ethnicities across Eastern Europe and the
Jewish communities was later planned by the German National-Socialist regime prior to the Second World War.
However, as critical psychologist Thomas Teo (1963) recalls during his 2021 interview with Mad in America
webzine: “Subhumanism is much more malleable than racism. Anybody could become a subhuman under the
right circumstances.” The process of becoming “subhuman” through the lenses of current societal norms and
customs is what interests the researcher in order to analyse how elasticity when archetyping plays such an
important role in the othering of the homeless population.

Psychology of Everyday Life: to look into narratives of everyday life of the Roma homeless.

The subjective groundedness of the elementary cyclicality of the conduct of everyday life: Holzkamp
characterises the conduct of everyday life by his cyclical and self-reproductive nature, having its own course that
differs or works independently from the trajectory of the individual, in a way that does not always align with the
broader picture/goals. Linear actions persuaded repeatedly become habits therefore part of the conduct of
everyday life, which are as well integrated into ample cycles, influenced in turn by external factors either societal
or cosmic. To maintain the functioning of the cyclical routines the individual needs to take responsibility in
creating, adapting, and maintaining their activities within these structures. (Holzkamp, 2016).
Intersectionality: to investigate the interplay of identities and practices in the social-economic context of
homelessness and ethnicity in Copenhagen.

METHODOLOGY

For this project, several methods are being currently considered, these are: Narrative Psychology as a method,
Ethnographic Investigation, and Participant Observation (PO) Research Methodology.

The impact of the post-industrial societies in the marginasalitaion of the working force has led to numerous
waves and exploits of lumpenisation; among these, homelessness is the pivotal question of this ensuing
investigation. Because subjective experience is crucial for the structuralisation of the narrative discourse that the
investigators seek to reflect; in-field observation and interviewing are to be conducted in order to adhere to the
epistemological need of touching the subjects of the investigation. This investigation dwells on the consequences
of the marginalisation, its cultural and social narratives of the homelessness of the destitute population of
Copenhagen, Denmark. The approximation towards this topic will be encapsulated in diverse spheres; among
these, the investigators have concluded to make use of practices such as interview inquiry and report analysis
with the aim of observing the reach of the social exclusion practices generated by invisible social forces.

Narrative psychology: We will use the outline of a semi-structured interview protocol illustrated in the Silver,
(2013) literature, which seeks to cover seven questions related to:

1. Life chapters- here life is seen as a book divided into different chapters.
2. Key events- the crucial and significant events/episodes
3. Significant people- Heroes/Heroines- important, pivotal people in the life narrative.’
4. Future script- Plans and dreams
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5. Stresses and problems- major conflicts that haven’t been solved, issues and stressors.
6. Personal ideology- Values and beliefs
7. Life theme- looks for a central theme in the person's narrative

When analysed various interpretative perspectives will be employed, in order to deepen into the story -in terms of
content, the tone used: emotions and language, themes and social psychological functions. We intend not to
break the story into fragments such as other qualitative research methods (IPA, discourse analysis) but try
viewing it in its entirety.

Ethnography: We will use ethnography as a research method, the researchers will interact with the participants
in a day shelter, where collective conversation will take place before and after the planned interviews. The social
context, behaviour and relationships will be observed during the fieldwork. Participant observation will be used
to understand the dynamics between the participants, and their social space as well as to create a bonding,
respect and comfortable space between participants and researchers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (BOOKS, THESIS, ARTICLES)

Jarvinen. (2003). Negotiating Strangerhood: Interviews with Homeless Immigrants in Copenhagen. Acta
Sociologica, 46(3), 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/00016993030463003

Ciulinaru. (2017). THE JUSTIFICATION OF HARSH TREATMENT OF HOMELESS ROMANIAN MIGRANTS

IN SWEDEN. Nordic Journal of Migration Research, 7(4), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1515/njmr-2017-0031

Pierce. (2023). Proof of ID: Building Access and Personhood in the Social Service Ecosystem Through Exchange.
Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1177/07439156231190310

Holzkamp, K. (2016). The subjective groundedness of the elementary cyclicality of the conduct of everyday life. In
E. Schraube & C. Højholt (Eds.). Psychology and the conduct of everyday life (pp. 93-98). Routledge.

QUESTIONS FOR THE OPPONENT GROUP

We started this project last week, so we are unsure what theories are going to be employed in the paper. We are
only sure about Subhumanism as a theory but have not decided what other theories we should employ, taking into
consideration that we would like to look at their life as a narrative, having in mind how their imposed identities
influenced their lives and possibilities in life.

What do you think is missing apart from the theory and what do you suggest?