Keywords
Vagabond; Homeless; Faith; Human; Anarchy; Anti
Abstract
This study analyzes intentional vagabondage as both a philosophical position and a lived critique of structured society. Using qualitative fieldwork conducted at Fairlawn Family Church in Fort Pierce, Florida—including ten semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and grounded theory analysis—the study examines how individuals who voluntarily disengage from formal systems of housing, labor, and legality construct meaning, identity, and stability beyond institutional boundaries. The analysis identifies three central themes: rhythm, referring to the patterned routines that sustain mobility; reciprocity, which characterizes social exchange and support networks; and refusal, expressed as a deliberate rejection of societal expectations. While many participants describe their paths in pragmatic or secular terms, others interpret their movement as spiritually guided, attributing clarity and endurance to divine influence. This interaction between faith and independence emerges in the analysis as a stabilizing and emancipatory force. The findings reconceptualize “home” as a fluid, relational construct, with stability grounded not in permanence but in adaptability, presence, and meaning making within shifting contexts. Overall, the analysis situates intentional vagabondage within anthropological discourse on marginality, resistance, and sacred mobility, reframing homelessness as an intentional, coherent mode of existence rather than a condition of lack. This study provides a rare, firsthand analysis of voluntary vagabondage that challenges deficit-based narratives, highlights the intentional and meaningful structures within mobile life, and brings forward voices that are largely absent from both policy discourse and anthropological literature. This research is useful because it challenges conventional assumptions about homelessness and demonstrates that mobility, when chosen, can serve as a coherent and meaningful way of life.
Thesis Completion Year
2026
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Geiger, Vance
College
College of Sciences
Department
Anthropology
Thesis Discipline
Cultural Anthropology
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
UCF Online
STARS Citation
Black, Lorena E., "The Vagabond Way: A Qualitative Study of Intentional Non-Participation in Structured Society" (2026). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 473.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/473
Included in
Migration Studies Commons, Other Anthropology Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons
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