The Squatters Dilemma

Global Housing Lessons for Local Housing Problems

In this Humanities Washington talk, explore how communities around the world have confronted squatting — sometimes successfully, sometimes not. What lessons can we bring home to Washington?

From tent clusters in parks, to RVs along roadsides, to boarded-up but lived-in houses, squatting, in its various forms, has become more visible in recent years. These living arrangements often spark fears about public health and safety, which in turn have led to new laws that ban camping in public spaces.

In this Humanities Washington talk, explore how communities around the world have confronted squatting — sometimes successfully, sometimes not. What lessons can we bring home to Washington? And how might we use them to build stronger communities while respecting others’ experiences?

Joseph Lenti is a professor of history at Eastern Washington University. The author of two books and numerous articles, his research has grappled with subjects including labor unions in Mexico, land conservation expropriation in Costa Rica, and trends of dispossession and squatting in Latin America, past and present.

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