culture and disasters
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Disaster Risk ReductionDoes Culture Determine Perception?Disaster Risk ReductionDoes Culture Determine Perception?
David AlexanderGlobal Risk Forum - DavosDavid AlexanderGlobal Risk Forum - Davos
Culture: the customs, ideasand social behaviour of a
particular people or group (OED)
Culture is often the missing elementin the social analysis of disasters
Diffusion of information
Perceptual filter
Cultural filter
Emergency not decodedEmergency not decoded
Emergency decodedEmergency decoded
Information flux
IgnoranceImages
of reality
Symbolicconstructions
Enlightenment
Technologyas risk
mitigation
Technologyas risk
mitigation
Technologyas a source
of vulnerability
Technologyas a source
of vulnerability
Research,development
and investmentin technology
Research,development
and investmentin technology
individualfamilypeer grouporganisationcommunitysocietyinternational C
ult
ura
l fi
lter
SociocentrismSociocentrism TechnocentrismTechnocentrism
Culturalfilter
Culturalfilter
Riskmanagement
practices
Riskmanagement
practices
perc
epti
on
decisio
n
Benign
Malignant
Technologyas a source ofrisk reduction
Technology asan inadvertentsource of risk
Technologyas a deliberatesource of risk
Ceaselessdevelopmentof technology
Long term
Short term
Emic components
Etic components
METAMORPHOSISOF CULTURE
Experiences of culture[mass-media and consumer culture]
Accumulated cultural traits and beliefs
Inherited cultural background
Ideological(non-scientific)interpretations
of disaster
Ideological(non-scientific)interpretations
of disaster
Learned(scientific)
interpretationsof disaster
Learned(scientific)
interpretationsof disaster
Valuesystem
Familyculture
Workculture
Peergroupculture
Personalculture
National culture
Regional culture
Consum
er
cultu
re
Civil Protection
culture
Riskamplificati
onfactors
Riskmitigation
factors
Totalvulnerability
Risk perception
factors- +
positivenegative
DIALECTIC
Filter
PerceptionPerception
CultureCulture
DecisionDecision
ActionAction
ResultResult
PositivePositive NegativeNegative
RiskRisk
AccurateAccurate InaccurateInaccurate
DRR
Knowledge of
communityvulerability
Knowledgeof hazardsand their impacts
Knowledgeof copingcapacity
andresilience
DisasterRisk
Reduction
Technologyorganisationssafety culture
Ethnologysocieties
community culturePsychology
ethnic groupsindividual culture
Communicationmass media
multicultural societies
Resilient
culture
Culture of
resilience
Retribution Judgement Portent
DISASTERMEANING ACCEPTANCE
Retrospectiveinterpretation
Predictiveinterpretation
Traditional view of disaster - modern parallels?
Haas, Kates andBowden 1977
ReconstructionFollowing Disaster
Norberg-Schulz 1980
Haas et al. 1977Lisbon: monumental reconstruction and
regeneration of the genius loci of a place.
Preservation of thegenius loci of Lioni(Avellino) after the1980 southern Italy
earthquake
Does this place still have a genius loci?
Romagnano al Monte: ruined in 1980the struggle for genius loci
• spontaneous abandonment, 23-11-1980
• no resettlement for 30 years
• plans for gradual recolonisation
• process entirely driven by funding
• funding sources obscure, scarce and stop-start.
Further reading: www.emergency-planning.blogspot.com
Further reading
technology andtechnocentrism
symbolicsignificancedisaster
culture
