Discursive constructions of homelessness in a small city in the Canadian prairies: notes on destructuration, individualization, and the production of (raced and gendered) unmarked categories

In this article, I explore the conversations, debates, and constructions that inform and precede actual policy formation regarding homelessness in a small Canadian prairie city. On the basis of analyses of videotapes of public hearings coupled with participant-observation and interviews with decision makers, my discussion focuses on two related phenomena: first, the interactional production, via indexicality and omission, of an unmarked categorization of the homeless person as 'male Aboriginal addict'; and, second, the destructuring, individualizing influences of discourses of 'diversity.' I conclude with a discussion of the policy implications of both phenomena, with particular emphasis on unintended consequences. [policy, destructuration, individualization, homelessness, race, gender]