
Reimagining Disasters
Voices in the Pluriverse
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 9. March 2026
Book
Hardback
148 pages
978-1-032-63258-2 (ISBN)
Description
Reimagining Disasters builds on the momentum gained by the 2019 Disaster Studies Manifesto, which aims to inspire and inform more respectful, reciprocal and genuine relationships between home and visiting researchers in disaster studies. The book challenges normative understandings of disaster and moves away from the hegemony of Western ontologies and epistemologies in understanding harm, hardship and suffering, that is, what we usually call 'disaster'.
It consists in one theoretical chapter and five case studies from Chile, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, India, and Nepal. The initial theoretical chapter revisits and contests the concept of 'natural hazard' as an underpinning and universal prerequisite for disasters to occur. The subsequent empirical studies led by home and indigenous scholars draw upon local concepts and methodologies to revisit, challenge and contest the concept of 'disaster' and how people experience hardship, harm and suffering.
Overall, this book shows that it is possible to conduct more just, grounded, and relevant disaster studies that reflect local perspectives and priorities and challenge the established notions of power. It is an essential read for students and scholars interested in disaster and postcolonial studies.
It consists in one theoretical chapter and five case studies from Chile, the Philippines, Zimbabwe, India, and Nepal. The initial theoretical chapter revisits and contests the concept of 'natural hazard' as an underpinning and universal prerequisite for disasters to occur. The subsequent empirical studies led by home and indigenous scholars draw upon local concepts and methodologies to revisit, challenge and contest the concept of 'disaster' and how people experience hardship, harm and suffering.
Overall, this book shows that it is possible to conduct more just, grounded, and relevant disaster studies that reflect local perspectives and priorities and challenge the established notions of power. It is an essential read for students and scholars interested in disaster and postcolonial studies.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Postgraduate and Undergraduate
Illustrations
4 s/w Zeichnungen, 4 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 8 s/w Abbildungen
4 Line drawings, black and white; 4 Halftones, black and white; 8 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
361 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-032-63258-2 (9781032632582)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
approx. 03/2026
1st Edition
Routledge
€64.20
Not yet published

E-Book
03/2026
Routledge
€55.49
Available for download

E-Book
03/2026
Routledge
€55.49
Available for download
Persons
JC Gaillard is Ahorangi o te Matawhenua / Professor of Geography at Waipapa Taumata Rau / The University of Auckland. His work focuses on power and inclusion in disaster and disaster studies. It includes developing participatory tools for engaging minority groups in disaster risk reduction with an emphasis on cultural and gender minorities, people in detention and children. More details from: https://jcgaillard.wordpress.com.
Ksenia Chmutina is a Professor of Disaster Studies at Loughborough University, UK. Her research focusses on the processes of disaster risk creation in the context of neoliberalism. It brings together critical theory and participatory methodologies to generate transdisciplinary understanding of disasters as socio-political processes. A core part of Ksenia's activities is science communication: she is a co-host of a popular podcast 'Disasters: Deconstructed'.
Ksenia Chmutina is a Professor of Disaster Studies at Loughborough University, UK. Her research focusses on the processes of disaster risk creation in the context of neoliberalism. It brings together critical theory and participatory methodologies to generate transdisciplinary understanding of disasters as socio-political processes. A core part of Ksenia's activities is science communication: she is a co-host of a popular podcast 'Disasters: Deconstructed'.
Content
1. Reimagining Disasters: Voices in the Pluriverse 2. Deconstructing Nature in Natural Hazards 3. Gudagod: Indigenous Kankanaey People's Perspectives on Disasters 4. Reimagining Disaster Preparedness in Indigenous Nepal 5. Extractivism and Disasters at the End of the World: Reflections on Life and Death from Northern Chile 6. Beyond the Western Lens of Resilience: Understanding Local Framings Through Analogies, Idioms and Proverbs in Zimbabwe 7. Re-Thinking Gender Beyond the Binary in Disasters: Othering and Hybrid Identities of Hijras in India 8. Conclusion