Greg Bankoff is Senior Lecturer in Southeast Asian History at the University of Auckland. His previous books include Crime Society and the State in Nineteenth-Century Philippines (Hawaii University Press: 1996).

'Often intriguing , the book provides a fascinating historical account of the intertwining of society and a hazardous environment in the Philippines.' - Department of Geography, National University of Singapore'Cultures of Disaster addresses important issues about human - environmental interaction in the Philippines. The author should be commended for their achievement in advancing knowledge on this vital, if still under researched subject.' - Department of Geography, Kings Collage, London

• Foreword Acknowledgement Introduction: Of Jellyfish and Coups 1. 'Vulnerability' as Western Discourse 2. Environment and Hazard in Southeast Asia 3. A History of Hazard in the Philippines 4. The 'Costs' of Hazard in the Contemporary Philippines 5. The Politics of Disaster Management and Relief 6. The Economics of Red Tides 7. The Social Order and the El Nino Southern Oscillation 8. Cultures of Disaster Conclusion: Hazard as a Frequent Life Experience Notes Bibliography