Hazards, climates and cultures: reflections on recent scholarship and proposals for further research

Jeffers, J.M (2016) 'Hazards, climates and cultures: reflections on recent scholarship and proposals for further research.' Journal of Extreme Events, 3 (2). ISSN 2345-7376

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S2345737616020024

Abstract

Writing in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, James K. Mitchell challenged social science researchers of hazards and disasters to broaden their research agenda. He advocated a move beyond simply applying existing social science insights to contemporary events to reflection on the larger project of the production of knowledge through academic research, the application of that knowledge to public policy, and the role of the social sciences in these endeavours. In particular he urged consideration of the context dependent nature of scientific knowledge on hazards, the relationships between scientific and non-scientific ways of understanding and responding to disasters, and the complex and often contradictory ways in which hazards can be framed, interpreted and understood. Ten years on from this challenge, this paper reviews scholarship that has addressed some of these concerns and proposes questions for further research. It argues that while social science research has advanced in some of the directions proposed by Mitchell, the challenge of complex, dynamic and contradictory interpretations of hazards and the implications of the provisional nature of knowledge remain understudied. It also suggests that while recent innovations in the co-production of hazards knowledge are welcome, there may be significant challenges to utilising these approaches on a wider basis.

Item Type: Article
Note:

Published 8 February 2017.

Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions: School of Sciences
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1142/S2345737616020024
Related URLs:
Date Deposited: 07 Mar 2017 00:32
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2021 09:45
URI / Page ID: https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/9092
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