Preview

How Are Natural Disasters Socially Constructed?

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1343 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Are Natural Disasters Socially Constructed?
With reference to various examples, discuss how ‘natural’ disasters are socially constructed.

While natural disasters such as floods, drought and hurricanes are commonly thought to occur due to environmental forces such as weather, climate and tectonic movements; a deeper investigation into the ‘disaster’ displays other contributing forces. Human factors have a large, if not equal, contribution to the occurrance and outcome of such disasters (Pelling, 2001). As Pelling (2001) argues, there is both a physical and human dimension to ‘natural disasters’. The extent to which the natural occurrence of a physical process, such as a flood or earthquake, impacts on society is constructed by that society, creating a ‘disaster’ as measured by a loss of life, structures and/or money. If a similar natural event was to occur in a place deserted of human life or contact, it would not be termed a ‘natural disaster’ but recognised as the Earth’s natural processes and physical movement. Conversely, these processes are potentially disasterous for the Earth’s plant and animal biodiversity; however the Earth manages to adapt and recover. It is the culture vs. nature separation and the uneven distribution of power in society that has contributed to the recent increase in natural disaster occurrence. There is a separation of society and nature where humans view nature as untamed and wild, leading to their attempt to control it. This has lead to the conservative response to managing disasters we currently use that focuses solely on the physical factors. (Reference the lecture here). Vulnerability due to power inequalities within society impacts the damage caused, and to whom, from these natural hazards.

The social construction of natural disasters results from power inequalities in society that leads to vulnerability of certain groups. Within society we construct categories, for example by class or gender, which are more exposed to risk (McLaughlin & Dietz, 2007). Class inequity



References: Davis, M 1995, ‘Los Angeles after the storm: The dialectic of ordinary disaster’, Antipode, vol. 27, issue 3, p. 221-241. McLaughlin, P & Dietz, T 2007, ‘Structure, agency and environment: Toward an integrated perspective on vulnerability.’ Global Environmental Change, vol. 39, p. 99-111. Pararas-Carayannis, G 2003, ‘Climate Change, Natural and Man-Made Disasters – Assessment of Risks, Preparedness and Mitigation’, in Disaster Pages, accessed 24 May 2010, from < http://drgeorgepc.com/ClimateChange.html> Pelling, M 2001, ‘Natural Disasters?’ In Castree, N & Braun, B (Eds) Social Nature: Theory, Practice and Politics. Blackwell, Massachusetts, p. 170-188.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    “How on earth could a society make such an obviously disastrous decisions as to cut down all the trees on which it depended?” was the question that started Jared Diamonds urge to do further research on societal collapses (392). His urge to write about this topic resulted from a conversation he had about the collapse of Easter Island society. In this piece of Diamonds “Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions,” he discusses past and present societies that have fallen due to their inability to handle oncoming disasters.…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    3. What is the distinction between “natural” and “unnatural” disasters? Why is this distinction more complicated than it may seem?…

    • 271 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Klinenberg, E., 'De-naturalizing disaster: A social autopsy of the 1995 Chicago heat wave ', University of California, Berkeley, 1999.…

    • 1745 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shaky Colonialism Summary

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The academic argument walker presents in his book can reach a wide academic audience because it provides fields like geography and anthropology a secondary resource to consider when researching the effect of natural disasters on the human…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this book “A Paradise Built in Hell: the extraordinary communities that arise in disaster,” by Rebecca Solnit. Solnit discusses the human nature of individuals amongst disasters. Solnit writes in her first chapter “A millennial good fellowship: The San Francisco Earthquake” captures different accounts of individuals from the 1906 earthquake. There are five sections in this chapter that Solnit will discuss the traits of people in catastrophes. “The Mizpah Café” Solnit describes the kind acts of a citizen Mrs. Anna Amelia Holshouer fed the people and gave them a place to come and gave them a place to come and relax and about they just lost everything “Disaster requires an ability to embrace contradiction in both the minds of those trying to understand it from afar”(p.15) This quotation describes the acts of Mrs. Holshouer Jacobson’s Joy” Solnit describes how the wealth and poor were both equal had to wait for help social class didn’t matter. Elites and authorities often feared the changes of disaster or anticipate that the change means chaos and destruction or at least undermining of the foundation of the powers. (p.21) there were no social class everyone was the same.” Those disasters are not necessarily great levelers some of the formally wealthy in this one no longer owned more than the poor and many of the poor were receiving relief for the first time.”(p.28) throughout this disaster the rich and poor thought of things the same way when it came to necessities. “The rich and poor alike just watched and waited it being useless to try and save anything but a few immediate necessities and when the intense heat made it necessary to move they got up with a laugh.” (p.29) the people of the 1906 earthquake tried to see the brighter side to the situation at hand. In General Funston’s fear Solnit gives a military point of view during the earthquake in the book “A paradise Built in Hell” The federal troops and the members of the regular police force and all special…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article “Mapping a Disaster: Hurricane Katrina” the effects of Hurricane Katrina are described such as how the storm affected lower lying parts of New Orleans, how it affected the poorer parts of New Orleans, and why the storm affected those areas in particular. These areas contained the poorer, African American population of New Orleans and also consisted of the older citizens. The deadly storm killed 1,836 people and was the most expensive storm according to money. After evaluating the storm, scientists and geographers noticed that the storm had affected primarily people that were poorer, elderly, and African American. These results raised the question as to why the storm so harshly affected these areas? Answers to this question resulted…

    • 195 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Racism In Katrina

    • 186 Words
    • 1 Page

    "There are no natural disasters, but a Mismanagement of natural phenomena." Extreme natural phenomena has always existed and it is precisely when human beings should protect goods and services that may be affected by these natural phenomena when we have a disaster. The tragedy of Katrina was not, in a fundamental sense, the product of the forces of nature, but of the Bush administration and the capitalist system in general. The Bush administration was unfit to govern. Although a big cyclone was expected long ago, sufficient preventive measures were not taken to minimize damage. This catastrophic event also demonstrated that the institutions of white supremacy and racism ideas are deeply intertwined with the system of capitalism in America.…

    • 186 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Weighing the Costs of Disaster: Consequences, Risks and Resilience in Individuals, Families and Communities. (2010). Association for Psychological Science .…

    • 1742 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Clarke, Lee. "Using Disaster to See Society." Contemporary Sociology. March 2004. Vol. 33 Issue 2, p137, 3p.…

    • 1727 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hurricane Katrina Morals

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When disasters strike home towns, cities, and villages, major events that follow all come from the basic morality of the area affected. It is not a simple and stress free task to pick up the remaining pieces that a disaster leaves behind, however, it is easier to work together, persevere, and travel through the rubble with others in order to repair damages that come about. When natural disasters encounter people’s lives, it is easy to forget moral instructions and act with aggression and fear towards those around you and lose sight of what matters most, rebuilding disaster stricken areas and take the disaster as an opportunity to grow rather than as another unlucky circumstance. Natural disasters, although deadly and sometimes fatal, are always opportunities to better previous ideas such as building structures, city safety evacuation plans, and bonds between communities and…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Thomas Cole is known for his realistic portrayal of American landscapes and his allegorical works (Eisenman 154). He is a Romantic artist because his artwork depicts natural beauty and wilderness that also reflects "his inner feelings and imagination" (Spielvogel 659). In his series of five paintings, Cole reveals his thoughts and feelings in a series of paintings to show the importance of human 's coexistence with nature because "beauty is not a timeless thing" (Spielvogel 659).…

    • 1573 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    English 142

    • 3186 Words
    • 13 Pages

    n.a., (2012) International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences: “Natural Disasters”: Encyclopedia.com. April 2012.Web. 10 Aug. 2012.…

    • 3186 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Have you ever noticed how many deaths have occurred due to natural disasters? Well if you don’t know what a natural disaster is, it is a natural hazard to the environment (floods, tornados, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis). All of these natural disasters can cause severe damage to the environment and many deaths. In this essay I am only going to talk about earthquakes and hurricanes.…

    • 405 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    McMillan, Carla R. (2013), Natural Disasters, Prepare, Mitigate and Manage, retrieved on March 16, 2013 from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/archives/ndht.php…

    • 2822 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Disasters characteristically occur quickly leaving behind comprehensive physiological and psychological impairment (Fullerton, Robert, & Wang, 2004). Natural disasters specifically are defined by the world health organization (1980) as an ecological phenomenon that occurs suddenly and is of sufficient magnitude to require external assistance, additionally the DSM-IV defines a traumatic event as an event experienced, witnessed or confronted by a person that involves actual or threatened death, serious injury or an threat to the physical integrity of self or others (Sriram, Rodriguez-Fernandez, & Doyle, 2012). Natural disaster tends to occur in rural areas in Australia and affects a diverse range of social structures and cultures. PTSD is an anxiety disorder that occurs among persons exposed to a traumatic event involving life threat and injury of themselves or those around them (Sriram, Rodriguez-Fernandez, & Doyle, 2012). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), states the core symptoms are impaired concentration, emotional numbing, recurrent flashes of traumatic memories, social withdrawal, and hyper arousal. PTSD is often observed as a comorbidity of other psychiatric disorders, most commonly depressive or anxiety disorders (Sriram, Rodriguez-Fernandez, & Doyle, 2012).…

    • 2097 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays