Suggested introductory readings to Disaster Anthropology?

[Jennifer Trivedi]

Hello everyone!

I increasingly find myself working with graduate students studying disaster science who aren't familiar with disaster anthropology or anthropology in general. I have my own list of the sorts of things I tend to recommend they read, but I'm curious - what would you use as an introductory text to anthropology/disaster anthropology for a grad student with no background in it?

Thanks,

Jenn

***

Jennifer (Jenn) Trivedi, PhD

University of Delaware

Assistant Professor | Department of Anthropology

Core Faculty Member | Disaster Research Center

Social Media Manager | Risk & Disaster TIG 

[Oliver-Smith,Anthony R]

Department of Shameless Self-Promotion

The second edition of The Angry Earth: Disaster in Anthropological Perspective edited by Anthony Oliver-Smith and Susanna M. Hoffman has just been published by Routledge.  The book has a new introduction, tracing theoretical developments and continuing and new challenges since the first edition (1999) and the original chapters have all been updated with postscripts.  There also are five new chapters on epidemics, drought, NGOs in humanitarian aid, disaster associated displacement and resettlement, and climate change affecting island cultures.

best,

Tony

Anthony Oliver-Smith

Independent Scholar and Consultant

Professor Emeritus of Anthropology
University of Florida

1739 NW 11th Road
Gainesville, FL 32605
tel. 352-377-8359
website:anthonyoliver-smith.net

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From: disasters-and-app...@googlegroups.com <disasters-and-app...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jennifer Trivedi <jennifer.ma...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2020 12:09 PM
To: Disasters
Subject: Suggested introductory readings to Disaster Anthropology?

 

[External Email]

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[Ilan Kelman]

And unless a second edition of "Catastrophe & Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster" is happening, then the first edition https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Catastrophe_Culture.html?id=N3LaAAAAMAAJ should be considered. Also, just published is "The Anthropology of Disasters in Latin America" https://www.routledge.com/The-Anthropology-of-Disasters-in-Latin-America-State-of-the-Art/Garcia-Acosta/p/book/9781138581456

Two earlier review papers on this topic:

1. "Anthropological Research on Hazards and Disasters" https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.anthro.25.1.303

2. "Challenges and Opportunities of Disaster-Related Public Anthropology" http://www.doi.org/10.3850/S1793924009000194

Ilan

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From: disasters-and-app...@googlegroups.com <disasters-and-app...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Oliver-Smith,Anthony R <ar...@ufl.edu>
Sent: January 26, 2020 17:24
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Subject: Re: Suggested introductory readings to Disaster Anthropology?

 

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[Noémie G]

Thank you for this! I'm closely following this great exchange as I still have a whole lot to learn + it's a great opportunity to check if I haven't left out any key references in the theoretical chapter of my under-construction-dissertation!!

On my part I remember that when I was discovering the field of disaster anthropology this article written by A.J. Faas and Roberto Barrios really helped me develop a more general understanding of the field and connect some dots: Faas A.J. et R.E. Barrios, 2015, « Applied Anthropology of Risk, Hazards, and Disasters », Human Organization, 74, 4 : 287‑295.

Have a nice day everyone!

Noémie

--
Noémie Gonzalez Bautista

Pronoms: elle / Pronouns: she, her

Candidate au Doctorat / Ph.D Candidate

Département d'Anthropologie/Anthropology department

Centre interuniversitaire d'études et de recherches autochtones (CIÉRA)

Université Laval

Local 0450

Pavillon Charles-De-Koninck
1030 Avenue des Sciences-Humaines
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noemie....@gmail.com

Le dim. 26 janv. 2020 à 14:18, gonzalez.melly <gonzale...@gmail.com> a écrit :

The text Making Disasters reference below has a great overview of disaster anthro and some important concepts. And I also second Anthony Oliver Smith.  I like AJ Faas' work on vulnerability, too. 

Making Disasters: Climate Change, Neoliberal Governance, and Livelihood Insecurity on the Mongolian Steppe

Book by Craig Robert Janes and Oyuntsetseg Chuluundorj

Melinda González

Graduate Assistant, Maya Forest Futures Project

PhD Candidate, Department of Geography & Anthropology
Louisiana State University 

t: 973-573-6424| mgo...@lsu.edu

www.ga.lsu.edu  

~~~~~~~ 

"Mi vida está hecha de todas las vidas."
-Pablo Neruda 

Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S9.

-------- Original message --------

From: Jennifer Trivedi <jennifer.ma...@gmail.com>

Date: 1/26/20 12:09 PM (GMT-05:00)

To: Disasters <disasters-and-app...@googlegroups.com>

Subject: Suggested introductory readings to Disaster Anthropology?

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[Swamy, Raja Harish]

Dear Jennifer,

You might consider a range of works that foregound capitalism,
colonialism, and race in the making of disasters and recovery
strategies. Might also be a good way to get 'science' oriented students
to get familiar with social theory and critique.

Works that come to mind in this vein:

Capitalizing on Catastrophe, Gunewardena and Schuller
The Neoliberal Deluge, Cedric Johnson
Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith 
Desire and Disaster in New Orleans: tourism, race and historical memory

Best,

Raja

[AJ Faas]

Hi Jenn,

   Are you looking for works, like articles, that can orient students to the key concepts? Or are you looking for longer ethnographic orientations? On the latter, I have had tremendous success teaching the following ethnographies to undergrads in intro to cultural courses:

• Fierce Climate, Sacred Ground by Elizabeth Marino (with great takes on vulnerability, hazards, post/colonialism, and climate change, among other things)
• The Golden Wave by Michele Gamburd (especially terrific on the politics of aid, but also on "moral meteorology" [though she does not use this term])
• Standing in the Need by Kate Browne - I really like this book, but I have yet to teach it. A colleague used it in an intro course with great success.
• Catastrophe in Context edited by Greg Button and Mark Schuller  (great on several key concepts, with a selection of chapters drawing on ethnographic work in diverse contexts around the world).

   For graduate students:

• Governing Affect by Roberto Barrios. So great for key concepts in anthropology of disasters and pushing our thinking in new directions. My grad seminar loved it. I think it's accessible enough for undergrads too, perhaps with some translation along the way, but I have not actually taught it at this level.
• Killing with Kindness - this is so great too for key concepts in anthropology of disasters and the politics of aid. Here again, I have not taught this (though I cite it!), but colleagues have with grad students and continue to do so. It's very popular.

Cheers,

 a.j.

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[Jennifer Trivedi]

Hi AJ,

To answer your question, I'm looking for both really. As Raja hit on beautifully, some of these students only really have a background in hard science, so sometimes I've been directing them to more focused key concepts things, but I've also been sharing longer anthropological works with some of them and with social science students who just don't have a background in anthropology.

All of these are great - some I have been sharing/citing/teaching (ahem, Angry Earth for example) but some I haven't been, so this is so far a great exercise in thinking along some different lines than I might normally.

Thank you all! 
Jenn

***

Jennifer (Jenn) Trivedi, PhD

University of Delaware

Assistant Professor | Department of Anthropology

Core Faculty Member | Disaster Research Center

Social Media Manager | Risk & Disaster TIG 

[AJ Faas]

Hi Jenn,

  Cool. Well, for more succinct reviews of key concepts, which I think serve as good primers for folks new to the field and provocations for those already initiated, I do rather like our special issue of Annals of Anthropological Practice from 2016. It's got vulnerability, resilience, culture, risk reduction, disaster capitalism, response, recovery, and beards (really!). I love all of the suggestions everyone has made, but I'd add this concept review into the mix (with plenty of good ethnographic and historical cases).

Cheers,

 a.j.

[Susanna Hoffman]

Hi Jennifer,

Following from Tony, don’t forget our Catastrophe and Culture for SAR Press. Both it and The Angry Earth are academic best sellers and considered classics, so something about them must be on point. Tony and I also each have a chapter in the Anthropology Handbook on the Environment, possibly good for those hard science readers but interested in environmental science. Mine I believe is pretty basic about the anthropology of disaster.

See you soon,

Best,

Susanna

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[Jennifer Trivedi]

Thanks, Susanna! And thanks everyone! 

I compiled every specific piece mentioned here plus a few I've also used in a Google doc that is accessible at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1judUOC4QZcfHUuicrldTCJSKzDTOuIAKer7iyLwFwNg/edit?usp=sharing just in case anyone else wants it!

Jenn

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Jennifer (Jenn) Trivedi, PhD

University of Delaware

Assistant Professor | Department of Anthropology

Core Faculty Member | Disaster Research Center

Social Media Manager | Risk & Disaster TIG