Reflexivity, habitus and vulnerability: Vietnamese farmers' attribution of responsibility in a post-disaster context

Abstract

PurposeThis article examines how farmers' assignment of responsibility for the disaster in late 2015 – early 2016 connects with reflexivity, habitus and local vulnerability.Design/methodology/approachThis article uses semi-structured interviews with 28 disaster-affected households in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta to answer the question.FindingsThis article finds out that Vietnamese farmers actively accepted their responsibility for the disaster. In their explanation, they link their action with the root causes of vulnerability embedded in their socio-cultural traditions and collective identity.Research limitations/implicationsThis article makes a case for the importance of local culture and epistemologies in understanding disaster vulnerability and responsibility attribution.Originality/valueThis article is original in researching Vietnamese farmers' responsibility attribution, their aesthetic reflexivity, collective habitus and the socio-cultural root causes of disaster.

Examining Disaster and Climate Change Studies Using the Funnel of Multiple Capital Deployment (FMAD) Framework: A Review of Vietnamese literature

“…External attribution is frequently seen in literature as a cultural practice of avoiding being held accountable for their own actions as a barrier to proactive adaptation and responses. Internal attribution, or attributing disaster causes to themselves, did not, however, motivate active preparation (Nguyen-Trung, 2023). Responsibility attribution in this case was considered as a cultural explanation of risk-taking action rather than a factor influencing disaster preparation and responses.…”

“…The majority of the research found in this literature review mentioned floods, including (Kobayashi et al, 2012;Ling et al, 2015;Nguyen et al, 2016), (Razafindrabe et al, 2012), (Chau et al, 2014;Ehlert, 2012;Nguyen & James, 2013;Schad et al, 2012;Tong Thi My Thi et al, 2012). There were a few cases where one study examining two hazards and more such as typhoons, floods, and storms (Bruun & Olwig, 2015;Duc et al, 2012;Arouri et al, 2015) or droughts and saline intrusion (Nguyen-Trung, 2022;2023).…”

“Respect existence or expect … resilience?” epistemic reflexivity towards liberated disaster studies

“…Uekusa, 2017;Uekusa et al, 2022). His central concepts of habitus, field and capitals [6] raise important questions about social inequalities and the uneven experience of disasters (Nguyen-Trung, 2023). Examining his sociological thought, I focus on his concept of reflexivity, which Wacquant (1992, p. 36) defines as "the inclusion of a theory of intellectual DPM 33,3 practice as an integral component and necessary condition of a critical theory of society".…”

“…Individuals and collectives are not passive but active agents in disaster processes. This agency extends beyond critical and disruptive moments, encompassing the everyday creation and reproduction of risks (Nguyen-Trung, 2023). Armed with such agency, individuals can develop critical practices that challenge the hegemony of capitalism (Cretney, 2017), and many have argued that such emerging actions of resistance relate to resilience (Sou, 2022; Reid, 2012).…”

Risk-taking and social inequality

“…There is a body of research which shows that people sometimes take risks when their physical well-being is fundamentally threatened (e.g. Hayenhjelm, 2006; Nguyen-Trung, 2023). From the early poverty studies of the 19th century (Mayhew, 1861) to today's research on inequality there is little doubt that inequalities tend to widen (UNDESA, 2020).…”