Theme
The roles of libraries and archives in disaster research
Start Date
2-6-2011 10:30 AM
End Date
2-6-2011 12:00 PM
Document Type
Presentation
Description
This paper explores the process of developing and refining the conceptualization of catastrophe utilizing the extant literature collected following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor leak, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the BP oil spill. A catastrophe is different from a disaster in that most or all of a community or area is impacted, many local individuals are unable to undertake their usual roles, the community undergoes a period of prolonged inoperability, media plays an increasing role in the construction of the public perception of the occasion, and the political arena shifts from a local or regional issue to a national or international issue. The distinction between disaster and catastrophe is not simply an academic one, as national and international policymakers have recently become sensitized to differences between these occasions, and emergency management professionals and policymakers have asserted that more academic research is needed to empirically falsify conceptualization distinctions. This paper offers additional conceptual clarification on catastrophe and emphasizes the benefits of utilizing specialized disaster research collections to access high quality data on catastrophe across social and geographic boundaries.
From Construction to Conceptualization: Catastrophe across Three Occasions
This paper explores the process of developing and refining the conceptualization of catastrophe utilizing the extant literature collected following the Chernobyl nuclear reactor leak, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the BP oil spill. A catastrophe is different from a disaster in that most or all of a community or area is impacted, many local individuals are unable to undertake their usual roles, the community undergoes a period of prolonged inoperability, media plays an increasing role in the construction of the public perception of the occasion, and the political arena shifts from a local or regional issue to a national or international issue. The distinction between disaster and catastrophe is not simply an academic one, as national and international policymakers have recently become sensitized to differences between these occasions, and emergency management professionals and policymakers have asserted that more academic research is needed to empirically falsify conceptualization distinctions. This paper offers additional conceptual clarification on catastrophe and emphasizes the benefits of utilizing specialized disaster research collections to access high quality data on catastrophe across social and geographic boundaries.
