Tough Bodies and Rough Sleeping: Embodying Homelessness Amongst Ex-servicemen

Abstract

The training of combat troops is oriented at producing high levels of physical fitness and strength. In order to be effective ?in the field?, soldiers must be tolerant of deprivations ranging from extremes of temperature through to resilience in the face of ?sleeping out? in uncomfortable conditions. This ability to survive is likely to persist into civilian life in terms of both the transformed physical capital on which it depends, and the associated knowledge - including the importance of food and diet - vital for sustenance of the body in times of hardship. I argue that the ex-soldier's resilient body represents a useful point of departure in attempting to account for the disproportionate number of ex-servicemen among the single homeless population, within the context of limited conditions of possibility. This line of enquiry is particularly appropriate within the context of rough sleeping, an experience characterized by surprising continuity with life as a combat soldier.