Issa Edomgenet Hiba
Department of Sociology, Mizan-Tepi University, SNNPR, Ethiopia.
Heliyon. 2021 May 29;7(5):e07139. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07139. eCollection 2021 May.
(1) To explore morphological facts that typically characterize life in slum neighborhood. (2) To identify dysfunctions of those morphological facts. (3) To discuss some of the differences and similarities between the study area and other forms of a slum in Addis Ababa as outlined by Alemayehu (2008) based on selected morphological facts.
The study adopted a qualitative case study research design rooted in a pragmatic constructivist approach to a case study. Information was gathered through semi-structured interviews and field observation, and then analyzed using a deductive thematic analysis technique.
This study found that the morphological facts that typically characterize life in slum neighborhood are: Dilapidated Housing; Limited Access to Infrastructure; Congested Settlement; Positionality; and Being a Slum as a relational Construct. This study also found that these morphological facts have their inherent dysfunctions: Physical Health Risk; Psychological Distress; Economic Cost; and Social Cost. Results further show that the dysfunctions of some morphological facts have a gender dimension where women suffer more. The difference and similarities between the study area and other forms of a slum in Addis Ababa as outlined by Alemayehu (2008) were discussed based on selected morphological facts. The discussion suggests that let alone the homogeneity of slums at the global level, slums are rather heterogamous even at a national/local level. The discussion has also highlighted that the classification of slums in Addis Ababa as proposed by Alemayehu (2008) for one thing is not exhaustive and needs some modifications.
The study is expected to hold significance both at empirical and theoretical levels. Some of the empirical significances of this study are: it challenges the conventional categorization of slums in Addis Ababa; it provides a thick description of morphological facts in a slum neighborhood and their dysfunctions to the inhabitants, and it brings the gender dimension of dysfunctions of morphological facts to the audience. Whereas, the theoretical significance could be drawn from how the study tried to make functionalism theoretically useful to the study of a slum habitat.
（1）探究典型表征贫民窟社区生活的形态特征。（2）识别这些形态特征的功能障碍。（3）基于选定的形态特征，讨论研究区域与阿莱马耶胡（2008年）所概述的亚的斯亚贝巴其他形式贫民窟之间的一些异同。
本研究采用扎根于实用建构主义方法的定性案例研究设计。通过半结构化访谈和实地观察收集信息，然后使用演绎主题分析技术进行分析。
本研究发现，典型表征贫民窟社区生活的形态特征有：住房破旧；基础设施获取有限；住区拥挤；区位性；以及作为一种关系建构的贫民窟属性。本研究还发现这些形态特征存在其固有的功能障碍：身体健康风险；心理困扰；经济成本；以及社会成本。结果进一步表明，一些形态特征的功能障碍存在性别差异，女性受影响更大。基于选定的形态特征，讨论了研究区域与阿莱马耶胡（2008年）所概述的亚的斯亚贝巴其他形式贫民窟之间的异同。讨论表明，且不说贫民窟在全球层面的同质性，即使在国家/地方层面，贫民窟也是相当异质的。讨论还强调，阿莱马耶胡（2008年）提出的亚的斯亚贝巴贫民窟分类一方面并不详尽，需要一些修改。
本研究预计在实证和理论层面都具有重要意义。本研究的一些实证意义在于：它挑战了亚的斯亚贝巴贫民窟的传统分类；它为居民提供了对贫民窟社区形态特征及其功能障碍的详尽描述；它向受众呈现了形态特征功能障碍的性别维度。而理论意义则可源于该研究如何试图使功能主义在贫民窟栖息地研究中具有理论实用性。
