The power to define: Definitions as a site of struggle in the field of homelessness

This article presents research findings regarding the role of definitions in the field of homelessness in San Francisco. Information production practices of service providers, advocates and others were analyzed as part of a larger research project concerning ideology and information production. Results revealed that definitions appear in explicit and implicit forms, and also serve as a linking mechanism between dominating conceptions (ideology) and information practices. Further, definitions are a site of struggle within the field, as those who are able to create and enforce certain definitions are able to shape the types of activities that take place within the field.