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An Archaeology of the Pelham Bay Park Homeless Encampment

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An Archaeology of the Pelham Bay Park Homeless Encampment Vague Dwelling: An Archaeology of The Pelham Bay Park Homeless Encampment Courtney Elizabeth Singleton Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2021 © 2020 Courtney Elizabeth Singleton All Rights Reserved Abstract Vague Dwelling: An Archaeology of The Pelham Bay Park Homeless Encampment Courtney Elizabeth Singleton This dissertation is an archaeological investigation of a late 20th century homeless encampment in Pelham Bay Park, New York City. This project examines the relationship between aspects of dwelling and the social status of homelessness within an iconic urban setting in the United States. In contemporary public discourse, the meaning of "homelessness" seems self-evident to most people as a condition defined by lack: a lack of permanence in general and of a permanent dwelling place in particular, a lack of personal possessions and personal relations, and most consequentially, a lack of political status. This research interrogates these assumptions by reading homelessness through the material record that people left behind, of what they did have when they inhabited spaces outside the sanctioned institutions for the "homeless," spaces where people intentionally dwelled and created their own structures of home. This project returns us to the most basic questions in the study of homelessness in the United States: what exactly is homelessness, what does it mean to be homeless, and how are people marked or recognized as homeless within our society? In order to answer these questions, this research explores how boundaries defining homelessness manifest and are articulated within our society. Contents List of Charts, Graphs, Illustrations ............................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Pelham Bay Park ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Vague Dwelling .......................................................................................................... 11 An Archaeological Approach to Vagueness ..................................................................... 17 The Object of Home................................................................................................................ 20 Archaeology and the Household ....................................................................................... 22 House-as-Home and Ephemeral Campsites ............................................................................ 30 Traces of Mobility: Ephemeral Sites................................................................................. 32 Ephemerality ..................................................................................................................... 36 Conclusion: A Vague Object .................................................................................................. 45 Chapter 2 Disgusting Things ........................................................................................................ 49 An Unexpected Encounter ...................................................................................................... 49 Disgust .................................................................................................................................... 52 Initial Affects at Pelham Bay Park .......................................................................................... 57 Disgusting Objects .................................................................................................................. 61 Needles .............................................................................................................................. 62 Pooping in Public ............................................................................................................. 70 i From the Anus to the Mouth: Eating like an animal ........................................................ 75 Menstrual Blood: Used pads and tampons ....................................................................... 82 Condoms ........................................................................................................................... 85 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 89 Chapter 3: Interpreting the Surface ............................................................................................... 93 Objects in Motion ................................................................................................................... 96 Mapping the Surface ......................................................................................................... 99 Imposing Order ..................................................................................................................... 107 Beverage ......................................................................................................................... 119 Food ................................................................................................................................ 125 Tools ................................................................................................................................ 129 Drugs............................................................................................................................... 134 Health and Hygiene ........................................................................................................ 146 Child’s Play .................................................................................................................... 156 Decoration ...................................................................................................................... 161 Conclusion: A Tense Interpretation ...................................................................................... 162 Chapter 4: Boulder Dwelling ...................................................................................................... 167 Ephemeral Sites .................................................................................................................... 167 1980s phase ........................................................................................................................... 173 1960s-1970s phase ................................................................................................................ 178 1960s phase ........................................................................................................................... 192 The Pelham Bay Park Landfill .............................................................................................. 201 ii Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 205 Chapter 5: The Boat Dwelling Site ............................................................................................. 210 The Boat: An Ephemeral Structure ....................................................................................... 213 Level 1: Post-1980s Context ................................................................................................. 223 Level 2: Transition Point ...................................................................................................... 227 Level 3: Occupation Phase .................................................................................................... 234 Conclusion: An Ephemeral Structure ................................................................................... 243 Chapter 6: Homeless Dwelling ................................................................................................... 248 Creating Homes from Waste ................................................................................................. 250 Informal economies and waste flows .................................................................................... 259 Foodways .............................................................................................................................. 265 Drug Use ............................................................................................................................... 270 Social exclusion .............................................................................................................. 272 Untreated illness ............................................................................................................. 276 Unmet needs .................................................................................................................... 277 Conclusions: Scavenging ...................................................................................................... 279 The Take Away ........................................................................................................................... 283 Works Cited ...............................................................................................................................
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