Know more Slums

The term ‘slum’ is a virtual Pandora’s Box of social texts and subtexts that need to be deciphered if one is to understand the root causes of slum proliferation evident in newly urbanising developing countries. Slum proliferation marked in countries like India and Nigeria, display diverse social customs and rigid religious practices in main stream society. Though slums in these countries display such diverse heterogeneity, they have so far been handled with Western economic prescriptions, none of which have had lasting impact. Consequently slums are on the rise. The word slum has several connotations of meaning, across different locations, languages, eras, and stages of development. It is a linguistic conundrum which can be resolved only through the medium of Deconstruction. By tracing a pattern between ‘slum’ connotations, and the social relevance of slum interventions, an attempt is made to understand the hidden subtexts of proliferation. Slums in England have changed from one form to another, but social deprivation lingers. From this book, the social relevance of slum strategies can be better understood and applied to countries where its management is in its nascent phase.