Week 7

Spatially, slums might be defined as massive amalgamations of humans into too little space.  The governments of the cities that contain slums do not have the wherewithal to govern such a quantity of people. Thus, slums comprise an entire set of humanity that is more or less self-governed.  Slum-dwellers are forced to take charge of their own community development, often through the agency of religious and aid institutions.  While it may be argued that these organizations usually hail from the outside and are thus a form of colonialism, they gain momentum through the active engagement of community members in the slums themselves. 

In the absence of public services and aid, slum-dwellers have created complex economic and social networks that provide for at least some of their needs.  They coalesce into “informal economies” in which they provide services for one another off-the-grid.  As Davis points out, these “shadow economies” (a term I think is erroneously dark) sometimes contribute to large external businesses, like Wal-Mart.  Most “shadow workers,” however, are merely finding a niche in a complex economic ecosystem.  Some are washing laundry, some are cooking food, and some are producing textiles or other goods that are sold for the best price.