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?
