Slums: The History of a Global Injustice

Description

More than half of the world's population now lives in urban areas, but a billion of these people reside in neighbourhoods characterised by entrenched disadvantage. These neighbourhoods, known as 'slums', are often seen as a debilitating and even subversive presence within society. In reality, however, it is often the host societies and their public policies that are at fault. In this comprehensive global history, Alan Mayne explores the evolution and meaning of the word 'slum', from its origins in London in the early nineteenth century to its use to describe favela communities in the lead up to the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016. The word 'slum' has been extensively used for two hundred years to condemn and disperse poor communities. Mounting a case for the word's elimination from the language of progressive urban social reform, Slums is a must-read book for all those interested in social history and the importance of these vibrant and vital neighbourhoods.

Alan Mayne is Visiting Professor in the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester and Adjunct Professor at the University of South Australia. His previous books include The Imagined Slum: Newspaper Representation in Three Cities, 1870-1914 (1993).

'A tonic and rousing critique of the bad freight carried by the concept of "slum". Although an obvious offender in my own work, I'm entirely convinced by Mayne's passionate polemic. No more "s" word from me.' - Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums; 'Mayne lacerates ... [the] war on the poor, with sweeping historical critique, instead demonstrating how the logics and policies that keep the "poor" unsettled, simultaneously pacified and volatile, constitute a deception, covering over the distorted productivity of inequality, spatial engineering, and the reliance upon those consigned to the margins to regenerate new forms of sociality in face of denigration.' - Professor AbdouMaliq Simone, Goldsmiths, University of London; 'Alan Mayne is a leading authority on the history of "slums". In his new book he turns his attention to the repetitions and continuities in society's attitudes and policies towards "slums" worldwide over the past 200 years, from 19th-century Britain to 21st-century Global South. His challenging, forthright book exposes how our continued use of the word "slum" is misleading, deceitful and downright wrong.' - Professor Richard Dennis, University College London