Slumming it : the tourist valorization of urban poverty /

Frenzel (Univ. of Leicester, UK) delivers a stirring text on an emerging yet controversial niche form of tourism referred to as "slum tourism." Rather than outright rejecting slum tourism on the grounds of morality, as many claim it is degrading and largely voyeuristic, the author tries to answer a social question: "Why does it matter that tourists visit these slums?" Using three distinct case studies in Brazil, South Africa, and India, Frenzel covers such topics as the current globalization of slum tourism, tourist valorization, different forms of slum tourism, co-optation of disruptive valorization, etc. in an effort to help readers answer the "why?" Graphic descriptions conveyed through narratives highlight the numerous links that slum tourism has with wider societal issues of global justice as played out through global North-South distinctions. Readers will find the text throughout each of the ten chapters to be written in a rather objective manner. This is highlighted by the fact that Frenzel offers not only limitations but also future research opportunities building on this work. Libraries with extensive collections on tourism (especially focused on the sociology and anthropology of tourism) should have a copy of this work. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty. --Kyle M. Woosnam, University of Georgia