Disasterland: An Ethnography Of The International Disaster Community

Description

This book analyses the making of the international world of ‘natural’ disasters by its professionals. Through a long-term ethnographic study of this arena, the author unveils the various elements that are necessary for the construction of an international world: a collective narrative, a shared language, and standardized practices. The book analyses the two main framings that these professionals use to situate themselves with regards to a disaster: preparedness and resilience, arguing that the making of the world of ‘natural’ disasters reveals how heterogeneous, conflicting, and sometimes competing elements are put together. Acknowledgments......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Acronyms......Page 10 List of Figures......Page 12 List of Boxes......Page 14 Chapter 1: Introducing Disasterland......Page 15 The World of Disaster......Page 18 Constructing the Field......Page 23 The Making of a World......Page 30 References......Page 33 Part I: Genealogy and Iconography of the “Natural” Disaster World......Page 37 Chapter 2: Stories of a Fragmented World......Page 38 First Narrative: A World to Coordinate......Page 40 A Boundary-Entrepreneur: Michel Lechat......Page 43 Coordination, from UNDRO to OCHA......Page 45 Second Narrative. A World to Understand......Page 47 Understanding Nature in Disasters......Page 51 Denaturalizing Disasters......Page 53 Competition Among Experts in International Committees......Page 55 Harmonizing Worlds......Page 60 References......Page 61 Chapter 3: Disaster Iconography: Victims, Rescue Workers, and Hazards......Page 65 The Making of Images: Databases, Guidelines, and Codes of Conduct......Page 66 Representing “Natural” Disasters......Page 68 Representing Victims: Women and Children, Between Vulnerability and Resilience......Page 70 Child Figures and Pedagogy......Page 71 Mother Figures......Page 77 Heroes and Experts......Page 83 Resilient Communities......Page 84 Between Victims, Experts, and Communities: The Mediators......Page 85 Nature: Culpable and Controllable......Page 87 References......Page 90 Part II: The Forging of an International World of “Natural” Disasters......Page 93 Chapter 4: Making Disasters International......Page 94 A Moral Imperative......Page 95 State Incompetence......Page 97 The Cost of Disasters: Economic Grammar......Page 99 The Grammar of Security......Page 100 International Technological Apparatuses......Page 102 Disaster Professionals: Going International......Page 105 Disaster Brokers......Page 112 Disaster Consultants......Page 118 Negotiating for Disaster......Page 124 “Disasterology”: An International Discipline of Disaster?......Page 130 References......Page 133 Chapter 5: Creating Common Ground to “See the Same Disaster”......Page 136 Quantifying Disaster: Concurring and Counting1......Page 137 Databases......Page 141 Exploring Future Risks......Page 147 Evaluating the World of “Natural” Disasters: Indicators and Benchmarking......Page 148 Global Indicators for Global Problems......Page 149 Benchmarking, Creating Competition......Page 152 “Talking About the Same Thing”: Glossaries and Definitions for a Language of Disaster......Page 154 Standardizing Practices......Page 159 Frictions......Page 162 References......Page 164 Part III: Confronting “Natural” Disasters......Page 167 Chapter 6: Preparedness......Page 168 Preparedness......Page 170 Issuing a Warning......Page 173 Between High-Tech and Low-Tech: The Cost of Preparedness......Page 174 Simulating Disaster......Page 177 The Scenario: A Fantasy Document......Page 179 A Geography of Order......Page 181 Simulation and Emotions: Reliving the Disaster......Page 186 Simulation as Ritual, the Minor Mode and Criticism......Page 187 Preparedness: Performativity or Performance?......Page 191 References......Page 192 Chapter 7: Resilience......Page 195 Disaster as Trauma: Psychosocial Support and Individual Resilience......Page 200 Reframing the Religious Scenario Through Resilience......Page 202 Community Resilience: “Help Yourself, By Yourself”......Page 205 Funding Resilience: Microinsurance and Microcredit......Page 208 References......Page 213 Chapter 8: Conclusion......Page 217 References......Page 221 References......Page 222 Index......Page 240