Dharavi Social Class

1. Social Class/pg. 96: “Large numbers of people who have similar amounts of income and education and who work at jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige.” Many people who live in Dharavi work by sifting through garbage, sorting it in order to recycle it. Not all people who live in Dharavi do this, but many do. Here in America we take it for granted that recycling is done by machines. Whether or not that is really true, some of us will never know- or ever care to know. Meanwhile, in Dharavi, the social class that comes together as a result of this recycling is one we would never imagine here in the US, because of our ideas about what a ‘normal’ job is. Simply put, Americans don’t think of picking through garbage as a legitimate job. However,

Ethnocentrism/pg. 36: “The use of one’s own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors.” The city of Mumbai where Dharavi is located wants to destroy Dharavi. The mega slum stands on top of some of the best real estate in the city, and would go for a lot of money. Also, Dharavi looks dirty to the outsiders, and they think that in order for Mumbai to achieve a greater status in the world playing field, the unsightly appearance of Dharavi should be removed. However, if they were to do that the whole city would fall apart, argues the documentary. (~43 min) Over a million dollars’ worth of goods is manufactured in Dharavi daily, and without the thriving businesses, (over 15,000 of them!) Mumbai would simply not be able to function properly. (~10

Technology/pg. 56: “In its narrow sense, tools; its broader sense includes the skills or procedures necessary to make and use those tools.” Dharavi has over one million people. However, the ratio of bathrooms to people is only 1 bathroom for every 14,000 people. (~34 min) The poor levels of sanitation are just a few of the problems with the lack of Technology. The main problem is health. Lacking proper bathroom facilities, most people relieve themselves into the local streams- where clothes are washed, people bathe, and children play and drink. Additionally, picking through garbage is full of nasty germs and sharp objects, including dirty hypodermic needles. Unfortunately, the poor people of Dharavi cannot afford doctors, but more importantly they cannot afford to avoid germs. In order to survive, they must pick through garbage to make a living. If they avoid things that are potential biohazards, they would pick up next to nothing, which is equivalent to making no money, which means no food or education. (~7 min) Even if a person in Dharavi has moved past picking through garbage for a living, they often must work in sweat shops and deal with poisonous fumes, another hazard to their health. (~9