Virtual Issue: Conversations with Disasters: Deconstructed

The following papers are included in a Special Issue published in collaboration with the Disasters Deconstructed podcast published at the end of 2023. As quoted in the guest editorial, this issue ‘challenges the status quo of disaster scholarship and practice and foreshadows alternative future where we might cultivate and cherish more reciprocal and respectful relationships’. The papers cover the following areas:

1. Sarah Beaven, Djillali Benouar, Mihir Bhatt, Lori Peek and Terry Gibson reflect on the good and the bad of disaster scholarship and practice and explore the importance of ethics – but most importantly, they show that there is hope.

   • Post-disaster research: challenges and opportunities conversation on disasters: deconstructed on 11th of June 2021

2. Nnenia Campbell, Kaira Zoe Alburo-Canete, Shefali Lakhina and Maria N. Rodriguez Alarcon focus on representation, power imbalances and research extractivism and reciprocity.

   • Post-disaster research: inspirational early career scholars transcript for the disasters: deconstructed livestream on 15 September 2021

3. Wesley Cheek, Claudia Gonzalez-Muzzio, Victor Marchezini, Holmes Julian Paez Martınez, Mittul Vahanvati and Dewald van Niekerk discuss how disaster capitalism manifested during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world.

   • Disaster capitalism in times of COVID-19 conversation on disasters: deconstructed on September 15, 2020

4. Jamie Vickery and Carlee Purdam co-hosted a conversation with Zulema Alvarez, Tristia Bauman, Amite Dominick and Tony Messenger – activists and advocates –about stigmatisation and marginalisation as well as the reproduction of vulnerability, incarceration and homelessness.

   • The reproduction of vulnerability: the incarceration and homelessness transcript for the Disasters: Deconstructed livestream on 31 March 2022

5. Finally, we reflected on the past decades of disaster scholarship and practice and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Radix network with Bob Alexander, Maureen Fordham, Rohit Jigyasu, Mayfourth Luneta and Ben Wisner.

   • 20 years of Radical Disaster Interpretations: reflections and aspirations (RADIX @ 20!). Conversation on disasters: deconstructed on 13 October 2021

These are freely available until 3rd March.