Politicizing Poverty

This chapter explains how poor-led political activism politicizes public discourse about poverty, as well as fosters the critical, political consciousness of people living in poverty. It shows how poor-led organizations and movements harness this collective consciousness to develop and advance more radical, pro-poor policies for poverty reduction and development. The chapter spotlights the work of urban slum dweller political mobilizations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, especially Slum Dwellers International (SDI) and some of its founding member-groups; the piqueteros workers’ movement in Argentina; the landless rural movements in Latin America, particularly the MST in Brazil, its global spinoff, La Vía Campesina, and the rural empowerment group, Nijera Kori, in Bangladesh. These examples serve to show how poor groups politicize poverty both within public discourse and in the eyes of members of poor communities.