Cities

Small Guides to Big Issues

by Jeremy Seabrook

Small Guides to Big Issues is a new series of accessible introductions to the global challenges of the twenty-first century. The books in this series de-bunk myths and raise questions about the global economic and political system and how it works. They are designed for campaigners and activists, students and researchers, and anyone interested in looking behind the headlines. Produced in partnership with Oxfam, each book provides an informative and thought-provoking guide to current trends and debates, and what needs to happen in order to end poverty and injustice. Every year tens of millions of people abandon rural areas of the South for life in the city. With education, health care and even safe water in short supply, cities risk becoming sites of violent conflict for future generations. And yet world governments are doing little to address these demographic shifts. Jeremy Seabrook offers a vivid portrait of the lives of people who migrate from impoverished villages to towns and cities, the changes they face, and the impact these changes have on their psyche and well-being. Contrasting the attitudes of today's governments with those of the past, the book provides a sharp critique of global policies, and an ideal introduction to the impact of urbanisation on modern life.

216 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2007

About the author

Jeremy R. Seabrook was an English author and journalist who specialised in social, environmental and development issues. His book The Refuge and the Fortress: Britain and the Flight from Tyranny was longlisted for the Orwell Prize.

Reviews

[Nishant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very brief survey of urban issues in global South by a white man who spent good amount of his life traveling in the marginal regions of South Asia. This book serves its purpose well and presents a comprehensive, radical and yet lively overview of state of urbanization in South. At many places, writer brings his personal accounts to provide first-hand experience of urban transformation. It is not meant to be an "introductory" text in an academic way. But it is an example of how journalistic accounts can be as thought-provoking as a piece of academic writing.