Saturday, May 2, 2009
Disclaimer
I would like to say to anyone who might read this blog that this is not an actual proposal. I am publishing this blog as an assignment for my Anthropology class.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Research Plan
I have visited the slums of Mumbai, India. More specifically, Dharavi. I researched the "situation" that the families who live in these slums are in. From my research, I have learned that there are many people, especially the Indian government and community planners, who would like to either help or force the people living in India's slums to relocate. I agree that relocation would lead to a healthier life with a higher standard of living. However, I have learned that the people who live in the slums do not necessarily wish to leave.
My data gathering approach is problem-oriented. The problem I addressed is that of the lack of interest the people living in the slums have in leaving. I see that poor education is the variable that is the most intimately related to this problem, with a mistrust of the government and urban planners being second.
I lived in the slums of Dharavi for a year so that I was able to become a participating observer. It is important to live among the people to try to understand their perspective. Once I established myself in the slums, I began to look for key informants. I kept a daily journal, and my informants were invaluable in helping me interpret what I saw.
Eventually I did take a survey of a random sample of both people who have grown up living in the slums and those who have lived there for 10 years or less. It is my opinion that when this lifestyle is passed from one generation to the next, it would be more difficult to imagine anything different. I compared the data I gathered regarding the outlook of obtaining a better living standard. In addition, I was trying to find out if education affects one's perspective regarding living in the slums. If there are people who are looking forward to working their way to a better life, are those people more educated than those who are content to live this way?
My data gathering approach is problem-oriented. The problem I addressed is that of the lack of interest the people living in the slums have in leaving. I see that poor education is the variable that is the most intimately related to this problem, with a mistrust of the government and urban planners being second.
I lived in the slums of Dharavi for a year so that I was able to become a participating observer. It is important to live among the people to try to understand their perspective. Once I established myself in the slums, I began to look for key informants. I kept a daily journal, and my informants were invaluable in helping me interpret what I saw.
Eventually I did take a survey of a random sample of both people who have grown up living in the slums and those who have lived there for 10 years or less. It is my opinion that when this lifestyle is passed from one generation to the next, it would be more difficult to imagine anything different. I compared the data I gathered regarding the outlook of obtaining a better living standard. In addition, I was trying to find out if education affects one's perspective regarding living in the slums. If there are people who are looking forward to working their way to a better life, are those people more educated than those who are content to live this way?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Affects of Globalization
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)The modern world system and globalization have certainly affected the slums in India. As call centers and the need for Indian exports have increased the need for cheap labor, the existence of slums has increased as well. The growth of cities means employment opportunities, hence the growth of the slums (Nationalgeographic.com, 2007). The slum dwellers are poor people who either move from city to city in search of work or they have lived in the slums for years working the same trade for next to nothing. Globalization has brought work to Mumbai, and the slum dwellers do the jobs that others are unwilling to.
"Today the outward story of India is one of a boom, of new construction projects, of growth. But that boom is on the backs of the poor and lower castes who are building this new India," said Mridula Bajaj, former executive director of Mobile Creches (Wax, 2008).
Aspects of Culture
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)I focused on the aspect of Family and Adaptive Strategies. The aspect of family provided clues as to why certain residents of the slums continue to remain. For example, some people are strongly rooted in the slums. Their homes and means of income have been passed down from grandparents to parents to the current generation. They consider it a good way of living. They can be close to work, for which they get paid very little, and their living expenses are affordable. In a workshop for Asha in Seattle, Rahul explained, "Since these are illegal settlements on encroached public land, they do not pay the basic or civil utilities taxes expected from any legal settlements in a city" (Rahul, 2006).
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)They consider this a good way of living as it was taught to them. The aspect of adaptive strategies comes into play as they continue to adapt to the changes around them. Some families have lost their homes without any warning as the government bulldozes them while they are at work. How are they adapting to such treatment? What are they doing to rebuild their lives? Why do they choose to stay in these situations?
Ethnocentric Dilemmas
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)It would be very easy for me to think that my American way of life is better than living in the slums of India. However, I had to put my biases aside. I learned that there are many people who live in the slums who do not desire a higher standard of living. They are quite content to remain in the slums. I need to remember that their choice is not for me to judge.
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)
I also had to realize that people raise their children in various ways from one culture to the next. Something that I might consider unsafe or to be poor practice cannot hinder my research. Again, it is not my place to judge the practices of these people, only to observe and report.
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)I also had to realize that people raise their children in various ways from one culture to the next. Something that I might consider unsafe or to be poor practice cannot hinder my research. Again, it is not my place to judge the practices of these people, only to observe and report.
Ethical Dilimmas
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)Although it is quite impossible to predict every ethical dilemma that one might encounter, I made a list of several that I tried to be aware of:
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)
It was sometimes difficult for me to allow them to go on living in the slums knowing that I could give them a little money to make their lives better. But I tried to remember that I would have been making their lives better according to my standards. I refrained from giving them gifts as they might have misconstrued this to mean that I expected something in return.
- I must respect the dignity of these people.
- I cannot interfere in their lives by offering false hope.
- I cannot interfere in their lives by giving them money or material possessions.
Respecting the dignity of the people was easy, but not following their customs, which is potentially insulting, was sometimes difficult. I learned the cultural faux pauxs right away so that I did not embarrass myself or others.
I did not want to give the impression that I was there to help them get out of their current situation. I did not want these people to think that I could offer them an easy solution (in fact, some of them did not want a solution).
I did not want to give the impression that I was there to help them get out of their current situation. I did not want these people to think that I could offer them an easy solution (in fact, some of them did not want a solution).
(copied from http://www.wolvo.net/gallery/v/Mumbai+Slum+Dwellers_001/)It was sometimes difficult for me to allow them to go on living in the slums knowing that I could give them a little money to make their lives better. But I tried to remember that I would have been making their lives better according to my standards. I refrained from giving them gifts as they might have misconstrued this to mean that I expected something in return.
Awareness
Now that I am back in the U.S., and I have extensive knowledge of the situation in Dharvi, I have decided to raise awareness for them. It has become apparent that the popular movie, Slumdog Millionaire, has brought much attention to this part of the world, and the lifestyle of slum-dwellers. However, I intend to work toward better education for the people living in the slums. The first part of their education should be about hygeine and what they can do to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The second part of their education program would include a fundamental education; the basic alphabet and math. Education is certainly something that the parents there want for their children. I feel like educating them would give them a better foundation upon which to make the decision to stay in the slums or to seek a higher standard of living. Either way, it is their choice, but with an education, they can make better choices.
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