Rent, Out, and After – Examining the Process of Eviction in Urban America

Abstract

In his ethnography, Evicted: Poverty and profit in the American city, sociologist Matthew Desmond examines the process of eviction for a group of people who he came to know in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Desmond painstakingly chronicles what happens when individuals and families cannot “make rent,” and are subsequently evicted from their homes. The stories presented in this book call on readers to deeply consider the interconnections between the rich and poor in urban areas in the U.S.A, and how polices might be revised with a view to ensuring affordable housing for all. An example of realist ethnography, Desmond also challenges qualitative researchers to consider the place of the “I” in contemporary qualitative studies.