İstanbul Üniversitesi Sosyoloji Dergisi (Dec 2024)
Representation and Perception of the Homeless in Turkey: A Study of Discourse Analysis
Abstract
Homelessness is a significant social problem that is often accompanied by negative prejudices and serious social stigma. In Turkey, homeless people who live in crowded environments or on the streets face limited social support. The aid provided by the state is usually seasonal and limited to temporary measures such as providing shelter and clothing during the winter months. NGOs also provide support within their means. However, there are no comprehensive social policies and programmes specifically developed to help homeless people escape this situation. The policy development process is closely related to the recognition of homelessness as a social problem in Turkey, which in turn is closely related to the perceptions, beliefs and prejudices about the subject. In this study, critical discourse analysis, which investigates the connection between language, social power relations, ideologies and beliefs, was used to determine the prevalent discourses on homelessness in Turkey; the aim was to explain the reasons for the low levels of support for the homeless and the lack of a comprehensive social policy development. The findings of the study reveal that homelessness in Turkey is generally considered an individual problem, not a social one. Ignoring the structural factors that lead to homelessness, such as poverty, migration and employment problems, normalises the problem and reduces social responsibility, preventing the development of comprehensive social policies, support and services for the homeless. In addition, dominant discourses shaped by non-homeless actors reinforce the marginalisation of homeless individuals by categorising them as “others.” Because of the research, it was determined that five types of discourses about homelessness were common in Turkey: personalising, emotional, criminalising, objectifying and normalising.
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