Through indepth case studies and comparative research The Politics of Slums in the Global South Urban Informality in Brazil India South Africa and Peru integrates conceptual discussions on urban political dynamics with empirical material from research undertaken in Rio de Janeiro Delhi Chennai Cape Town Durban and Lima. The chapters engage with the relevant literature and present empirical material on urban governance and cities in the South housing policy for the urban poor the politics of knowledge and social mobilisation. Recent theories on urban informality and subaltern urbanism are explored and applied to these six cities and the issue of popular participation in public interventions is critically assessed.