Social Representations of the Homeless: The Mobilisation of the “Enfants de Don Quichotte” in Paris

The mobilisation of the ‘Enfants de Don Quichotte’ in the winter of 2006-7 aimed to draw political and public attention to the conditions in which the homeless lived in Paris. Its unusual character served to overturn previous understandings between the agencies concerned with homelessness and poor housing in Paris and brought about a reconfiguration of those in charge of these questions. Without minimising the effects of this on those in charge of the homeless in France, this article is more concerned with the ways in which the homeless are represented and the ways in which action is taken in relation to them, than the analysis of this particular case study can show.