Rational fictions and imaginary systems: Cynical ideology and the problem figuration and practice of public housing

Abstract This paper aims to show how Van Wel’s theory of problem figuration, Carlen’s concept of imaginary systems and Zizek’s notion of cynical ideology may advance our theoretical and empirical understanding of the contemporary construction of housing policy narratives and embedded localised housing practice. Applying this theoretical framework to a case study of responses to homelessness in Scotland and further illustrative examples from the United Kingdom and United States, the paper examines how housing practice is constituted through different imaginaries of housing systems. These are based on fictional as well as rational elements, located within a form of cynical ideology whereby actors act ‘as if’ the realities of the present housing crisis are distanced from the imagined intended functioning of housing systems. This masks alternative social realities and denies an explicitly articulated politics of housing which would reveal new processes of capitalism, generational and class realignments and a reframing of the role of government itself. Key words: cynical ideology; housing policy; housing practice; imaginary housing systems; problem figuration; public housing.