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This timely Handbook is based on the principle that disasters are social constructions and focuses on social science disaster research. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to disasters with theoretical, methodological, and practical applications. Attention is given to conceptual issues dealing with the concept "disaster" and to methodological issues relating to research on disasters. These include Geographic Information Systems as a useful research tool and its implications for future research. This seminal work is the first interdisciplinary collection of disaster research as it stands now while outlining how the field will continue to grow.
The study focuses on organized activities within communities experiencing disaster. It is initiated by a description of the nature of disaster involvement on the part of various community organizations. A discussion follows of the different meanings of the term 'disaster' and of the social implications created by differential characteristics of disaster agents. It is suggested that the primary disruption of the social structure is revealed in unplanned changes in interorganizational relationships. Four types of organized behavior are isolated, derived from a cross-classification of the nature of the disaster tasks and the post-impact structure. Using these four types, problems of mobilization and recruitment are discussed as well as the specific operational problems these groups experience functioning under disaster conditions. A final chapter deals with the implications of disaster research in dealing with the organizational consequences of a nuclear catastrophe.
This collection of essays by participants in the Fulbright Educational Exchange program provides convincing evidence that the transnational educational experience is an efficient and effective way to change the attitudes of people toward others with different customs, religion, and political systems. The book conveys the variegated flavor of the Fulbright experience and the effects of studying, teaching, and undertaking research in other countries. The authors present a set of remarkable testimonials of personal growth and career restructuring. Richard Arndt, Robin Winks, Peter I. Rose, Otto N. Larsen, Ray Marshall, Irving Louis Horowitz, and more than forty others present revealing insights. We learn first hand of culture shock, of developing understanding across cultural boundaries, of teaching and learning about disciplinary assumptions, and of breaking intellectual ground. The book is a fascinating account of a successful program that tightens the bonds of affection and understanding between peoples of differing cultures.
Recent disasters have demonstrated the critical role that re-housing victims play in communities’ long term disaster recovery. This book examines the history and theories of rehousing, the role of bonding social capital, applies systems theory to understanding the stages of recovery, then presents case studies of long term housing recovery following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy in the United States, Hurricane Maria in Dominica, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and a variety of disasters in Turkey, Nepal, Japan, and India. Together these chapters address what Dr. Louise Comfort has called “one of the most persistent and difficult policy problems in the field: long term recovery of communities following disaster.”
As Enlightenment notions of predictability, progress and the sense that humans could control and shape their environments informed European thought, catastrophes shook many towns to the core, challenging the new world view with dramatic impact. This book concentrates on a period marked by passage from a society of scarcity to one of expenditure and accumulation, from ranks and orders to greater social mobility, from traditional village life to new bourgeois and even individualistic urbanism. The volume employs a broad definition of catastrophe, as it examines how urban communities conceived, adapted to, and were transformed by catastrophes, both natural and human-made. Competing views of gen...
A RUSA 2007 Outstanding Reference Title The Encyclopedia of the Developing World is a comprehensive work on the historical and current status of developing countries. Containing more than 750 entries, the Encyclopedia encompasses primarily the years since 1945 and defines development broadly, addressing not only economics but also civil society and social progress. Entries cover the most important theories and measurements of development; relate historical events, movements, and concepts to development both internationally and regionally where applicable; examine the contributions of the most important persons and organizations; and detail the progress made within geographic regions and by individual countries.
This book aims to present an alternative view of humanitarian action. It adds to current conversations and dilemmas within the humanitarian sphere by departing from traditional views that consider humanitarian interventions as a concrete human activity aimed at providing relief to disaster victims. Much differently, it invokes the idea that humanitarian action is also a cognitive process. In this process, both humanitarians and disaster survivors alike, unknowingly, apply historically, societally, and culturally defined symbolic constructions to make sense of post-disaster information and to make decisions. In the specific case of humanitarian workers, these symbolic constructions influence ...
Deviance is both socially defined and influenced. While it is widely accepted that deviance is a social construction, this research revisits the conceptualization of deviance and advances the methods used to study deviance and social construction. This book presents and compares three methods for conceptualizing deviance within and across cultures. Comparing the United States to South Korea, perceptions of deviance are presented as how individuals define deviance and what acts are cited as deviant. Next, attribute data are used to assess differences in of conceptualizations of deviance by demographic factors. Finally, social network analysis is used to understand the social influences at work in how one perceives deviance. This book is unique in its reconceptualization of deviance and the application of social network analysis as a new tool for studying social influence and perceptions.
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake killed 87,000 people and left 5 million homeless. In response to the devastation, an unprecedented wave of volunteers and civic associations streamed into Sichuan to offer help. The Politics of Compassion examines how civically engaged citizens acted on the ground, how they understood the meaning of their actions, and how the political climate shaped their actions and understandings. Using extensive data from interviews, observations, and textual materials, Bin Xu shows that the large-scale civic engagement was not just a natural outpouring of compassion, but also a complex social process, both enabled and constrained by the authoritarian political context. While ...