Disaster Research

Rasmus Dahlberg is a PhD Fellow and Co-founder of Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Olivier Rubin is Associate Professor of Disasters and Global Politics, Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University, Denmark.Morten Thanning Vendelø is Associate Professor and Co-Founder of Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

"The world of disasters is changing, creating deep challenges for practitioners and academics alike. A truly interdisciplinary group of disaster researchers have joined perspectives from as far afield as theology and economics, history and anthropology, risk and law. This intriguing book puts Copenhagen on the map as a new center for disaster research. Warmly recommended!" – Arjen Boin, Professor of Public Institutions and Governance, Leiden University"With an explicitly multidisciplinary approach, this excellent new book on disasters brings together the fields of anthropology, law, communication, theology, and politics into a single place. Combining detailed case studies of catastrophes with illuminating theory, this internationally focused volume will of service to researchers and graduate students alike."– Daniel P. Aldrich, Professor of Political Science, Northeastern University "Congratulations to the authors and editors for bringing together so many topics in relation to disasters – topics which require more interaction and cross-over. This book breaks through disciplinary boundaries, demonstrating the need to work together and providing an inspiration to do so." –Dr. Ilan Kelman, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London."This timely and wide-ranging volume provides an excellent overview of disaster and accident research from a multiple disciplinary perspectives. The authors demonstrate a thorough understanding of the theoretical and empirical literature and illustrate their points through the use of case studies. Recommended for everyone who wants to know about where the field of disaster research has been and where it is going." - Kathleen Tierney, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado Boulder

• Foreword 1. Disaster Research: An Introduction Part I: 2. Cracks in the Past: Historical Approaches to Disaster Research 3. Theology and Disaster Studies: From ‘Acts of God’ to Divine Presence Part II: 4. Making Sense of Disaster: The Cultural Studies of Disaster 5. The Social Life of Disasters: An Anthropological Approach 6. Natural Disasters and 7. Legal Scholarship and 8. Natural Disasters, Conflict and 9. Analyzing Communication Processes in the Disaster Cycle: Theoretical Complementarities and Tensions 10. Disaster through a Gender Lens: A Case Study from Haiti Part III 11. Organizational Accidents Theories 12. Disasters in a Sensemaking perspective: The Præstø Fjord Accident 13. Transboundary Crisis: Organization and Coordination in Pandemic Influenza Response 14. Disaster Financing in a Developing Country Context Part IV 15. Disaster mental Health: Research and Implications for Intervention Epilogue