The Case of Slab City. An American Slum or Paradise Lost?
In the State of California, a few miles from the glitter and glamour of Palm Springs, stands Slab City, considered by many to be a slum, an American garbage dump surrounded by desert and where people lead a life of misery. Besides its many stereotypical features, Slab City conjures up an image of violence – violence damaging the environment, violence ruining the lives of its citizens. And yet, on the reverse side of this unflattering image, a different reality emerges; that of a community endowed with a resourcefulness and sociability that radically alters the complexion of violence typifying Slab City. The ethnographical approach we take in this article makes it possible to shed new light on a territory situated on the margins of American society while providing a perfect example of that familiar gap between image and reality as it relates to the study of violence.