Slumdog cities: rethinking subaltern urbanism

Area of Science:

• Urban Studies
• Critical Geography
• Development Studies

Background:

• Dominant urban studies often represent Global South cities through
• subaltern urbanism,
• focusing on megacities and slums.
• This approach risks perpetuating dystopian narratives and overlooks nuanced realities.

Observation:

• Subaltern urbanism critiques apocalyptic slum narratives, framing them as sites of habitation, livelihood, and politics.
• However, this framework has limitations in fully capturing the complexity of urban life in the Global South.

Findings:

• This article introduces alternative analytical categories: peripheries, urban informality, zones of exception, and gray spaces.
• These categories transcend traditional metonyms of underdevelopment, offering a more nuanced understanding of subaltern subjects and spaces.
• The study moves beyond ontological and topological limitations of prior frameworks.

Implications:

• The proposed categories offer a more sophisticated lens for urban research in the Global South.
• This reframing can lead to more accurate representations and effective interventions in urban planning and policy.
• It encourages a departure from simplistic binaries and embraces the multifaceted nature of contemporary urbanism.