1. Understanding Vulnerability

Twigg, John; Bhatt, Mihir

doi:10.3362/9781780444420.001

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…It is, rather, the ways in which society and/or communities recognize and respond to these characteristics that creates social and structural vulnerabilities (Prilleltensky and Prilleltensky, 2007). Furthermore, social vulnerability and resilience are understood to be at least partially socially constructed, reflecting the differential distribution of resources and the ways in which individual characteristics (e.g., gender, age, ability, ethnicity) intersect with structural vulnerabilities (e.g., poverty, land use decisions) and strengths/resources to create variable patterns of vulnerability and resilience (Adger, 2006;Fordham et al, 2013;de Jong et al, 2015;Ungar, 2015). Community resilience is, therefore, a strengths-based construct, focusing on capacities and assets and how these can be mobilized and/or enhanced in order to reduce community vulnerability and risk and promote community transformation (Cox, 2007;Archibald and Munn-Venn, 2008;Cutter et al, 2008a,b;Folke et al, 2010).…”

Section: Community Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Researching Multisystemic Resilience: A Sample Methodology

et al. 2021

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In contexts of exposure to atypical stress or adversity, individual and collective resilience refers to the process of sustaining wellbeing by leveraging biological, psychological, social and environmental protective and promotive factors and processes (PPFPs). This multisystemic understanding of resilience is generating significant interest but has been difficult to operationalize in psychological research where studies tend to address only one or two systems at a time, often with a primary focus on individual coping strategies. We show how multiple systems implicated in human resilience can be researched in the same study using a longitudinal, six-phase transformative sequential mixed methods study of 14- to 24-year-olds and their elders in two communities dependent on oil and gas industries (Drayton Valley, Canada, and Secunda/eMbalenhle, South Africa). Data collection occurred over a 5-year period, and included: (1) community engagement and the identification of youth health and well-being priorities; (2) participatory youth-centric qualitative research using one-on-one semi-structured interviews and arts-based methods; (3) survey of 500 youth at three time points to assess psychosocial health indicators and outcomes; (4) collection of hair samples to assess stress biomarkers (cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-DHEA) over time; (5) youth-led ecological data collection and assessment of historical socio-economic development data; and (6) community resource mapping with community elders. Analyzing data from these multiple systems will allow us to understand the interrelationship and impact of PPFPs within and across systems. To date, we have undertaken thematic and narrative qualitative analyses, and descriptive analyses of the preliminary ecological and survey data. As we proceed, we will combine these and grounded theory approaches with innovative techniques such as latent transition analysis and network analysis, as well as modeling of economic conditions and spatial analysis of human geographies to understand patterns of PPFPs and their inter-relationships. By analyzing the complexity of data collected across systems (including cultural contexts) we are demonstrating the possibility of conducting multisystemic resilience research which expands the way psychological research accounts for positive development under stress in different contexts. This comprehensive examination of resilience may offer an example of how the study of resilience can inform socially and contextually relevant interventions and policies.

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Section: Community Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Researching Multisystemic Resilience: A Sample Methodology

et al. 2021

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“…Bhatt also supports this approach, arguing that it could shed new light on how different perceptions of resilience and vulnerability interlink, “as do Western and indigenous systems of knowledge, belief and practice of coping with disasters” (Bhatt, 1997, cited in Twigg, 1998, p. 7).…”

Section: The Unmaking Of “Them”mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disempowerment through disconnection

Scharffscher

2011

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal

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PurposeThis paper aims to explore the relationship between local women's relief initiatives and international relief workers in Batticaloa, eastern Sri Lanka, during the post‐tsunami emergency.Design/methodology/approachInterviews with representatives from women's organizations in the tsunami‐affected town of Batticaloa, local and national nongovernment organizations (NGOs) based in Batticaloa, as well as international aid agencies are discussed in relation to theories on resilience, vulnerability, gender and humanitarianism.FindingsObserving that women in a disaster‐affected area often represent important knowledge and resources, this paper documents how international relief workers failed to connect and cooperate with local women's organizations in post‐tsunami Batticaloa. It suggests that the reasons behind the disconnection can be linked to “us and them” undercurrents of international relief work – the lingering remnants of a colonial heritage. The disconnection may have led to a disempowerment of local capacities, flaws in the international relief activities, and reduced resilience among Batticaloan women in relation to the Sri Lankan civil war.Research limitations/implicationsDespite a growing volume of policies and guidelines on the importance of involving local capacities, there are inadequacies in the way international relief agencies operate vis‐à‐vis disaster‐affected communities, including women's established relief networks.Practical implicationsThe paper points at some reasons why international relief organizations struggle to engage local women's resources in their emergency operations. It suggests that cultural, social, and linguistic barriers are among those that need to be addressed if relief workers are to provide effective and sustainable assistance to crisis‐affected communities.Originality/valueCoupling theories of resilience, vulnerability, gender, and humanitarianism, this paper argues that women in disaster‐affected areas must be involved in international relief operations in a way that reflects their actual knowledge and resources. Presenting original interview material and documents collected during the first six months of the post‐tsunami operation, as well as through a follow‐up study in 2008, the paper points at international aid agencies' apparent inability to acknowledge local women's resilience and take their capacities into account. It also points at some of the ways in which this compromised the effectiveness and sustainability of international relief work in post‐tsunami Batticaloa.

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“…Over the past 50 years, disaster research has identified aspects of vulnerability that cause disproportionate deaths in different regions (Khan, 1974; Burton, Kates, and White, 1993; Twigg and Bhatt, 1998; Wisner et al, 2004). Cyclone disaster vulnerability was well studied in Bangladesh in our paper of more than 10 years ago (Alam and Collins, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in cyclone disaster vulnerability and response in coastal Bangladesh

et al. 2023

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The number of deaths by tropical cyclones in Bangladesh has significantly reduced. Category 4 Cyclone Gorky in 1991 and Sidr in 2007 caused 147,000 and 4,500 deaths respectively and Cyclone Mora six in 2017. This is considered internationally to be an outstanding case of disaster risk management. Face‐to‐face interviews with 362 residents, participant observation and focus group discussions answer a research question how change in the coastal areas has contributed to this outcome. The research considered institutional approaches of disaster risk management through legal frameworks, administrative arrangements, cyclone preparedness activities, cyclone detection and early warning dissemination, construction of shelter centres, strengthening of varied types of coastal embankments, paved roads and pre‐cyclone evacuation. The findings indicate significant improvement in house structures and design, income levels and diversification, education, awareness, individual capacity, poverty reduction and lowering of dependency on agriculture‐based earning. Further, the availability of mobile phones, radio, TV and social media platforms enhanced social connectivity and greater gender equality and empowerment helped to facilitate disaster preparedness, evacuation and response. The findings reinforce the importance of understanding disaster vulnerability and response on multiple fronts in identifying ways of mitigating the effects of ongoing and compounded climatic hazards and risks affecting the region.

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1. Understanding Vulnerability

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Researching Multisystemic Resilience: A Sample Methodology

Researching Multisystemic Resilience: A Sample Methodology

Disempowerment through disconnection

Change in cyclone disaster vulnerability and response in coastal Bangladesh

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