Planet of Slums

Mike Davis is an American urban theorist and historian whose scholarship uses a Marxist lens to argue for a more egalitarian and democratic society, calling himself a Marxist Environmentalist. Davis became involved in class, race, and labor activism at a young age, experiences that shaped the scope and intent of his career and advocacy for workers’ rights, leftist community organization, and environmental action. Despite being nicknamed “the prophet of doom” for his clear-eyed accounts of possible financial, political, and environmental catastrophes, Davis argues that his predictions are the logical outcome of historical precedents weighed against present factors. Nevertheless, Davis has a staunch belief in the human possibility, particularly in the solidarity and potential of the working class. 

Davis is best known for the book City of Quarts (1990) about the historical forces that shaped Los Angeles. He has written 20 other books and countless essays. Davis is respected both as a scholar and activist; he is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (known colloquially as the MacArthur genius award).

Planet of Slums was born out of a well-received essay about global slums in an issue of Mute magazine. As a Marxist and urban theorist and historian, Davis critiques global financial and political powers by highlighting wealth inequality and class struggle as overarching factors in the development of slums.