Located in the heart of Mumbai, Dharavi is estimated to be the
largest slum in Asia. Often referred to as Little India, it has
been home to thousands of migrants from across the country
providing opportunities for work and livelihood. As such, Dharavi
presents a fascinating paradox: the convergence of stereotypes
associated with the slum poverty and misery and an effervescent
economic vitality, impelled by globalisation and international
capital flows.
Bringing together 20 years of painstaking fieldwork, this book
reveals the social, economic, political, and urban complexities
that define Dharavi beneath the shadow of Mumbai, the financial
capital of India. It provides a rare account of the slum s history,
with a special focus on the original populace of leather workers
who form the backbone of its urban informal economy their work,
organisation and increasing political awareness. Dominated by a
population of ex- untouchables, conventionally stigmatised by
poverty and low status, Dharavi illustrates how traditional
caste-based occupational and regional divisions continue to be
strong and affect structures of political governance and economy.
At the same time, it testifies to an intimate encounter with
consumerism, liberalisation and technological innovations, and its
resultant cultural globalisation under the heady influence of
media, advertising and cinema transmitted by the city of
Mumbai.
This book traces the mega-slum s gradual transformation as a
thriving trade centre, through an informal economy s successful
adaptation to global markets, in turn establishing an urban
paradigm. It will be useful to those in sociology, anthropology,
urban studies, politics, public policy and governance, and to those
interested in globalisation, transnational migration and town
planning.
General
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