Cabot Institute Forum - building resilience to environmental change (2)
Background
Further to the two workshops on 'Building resilience to environmental change' run by the Cabot Institute in January and February, a regular interdisiciplinary Cabot Institute 'Discussion Forum' is being convened for people within the Cabot community undertaking research that is international in focus, and/or relates to international development.
Aim
The aim of these discussion forums is to engage scientists and social scientists in real interdisciplinary discussion with others working on related issues. These will be informal lunchtime sessions taking place once a month, on the second Monday of the month, and participants will be provided with a 'brown bag lunch'.
Ryerson Christie (SPAIS) will be giving an informal short talk at this second forum called:
"Fearing the Knock on the Door: critical security studies insights into limited cooperation with disaster management regimes"
This paper explores the ways in which competing claims of what constitutes security challenge the operating assumptions in emergency preparedness. Drawing on field work in communities at risk from lahars generated from Cotopaxi in Sangolqui, Ecuador, this paper challenges the operating assumptions in emergency preparedness. In June 2012, over 130 primary interviews were undertaken as a part of the EU funded VUELCO project in Ecuador. Drawing on interpretive methodologies the paper argues that the scientific representation of Volcanic hazards, and the resultant disaster management strategies, do not account for local context. By incorporating a broader narrative of security, disaster preparedness and communication plans can be more effective.
Through the whole seminar series, that will run over the next two semesters, particular questions will be asked:
- Does better knowledge of environmental change and natural hazards contribute to building resilience and, in turn, reducing poverty?
- How can knowledge yielded through research be better communicated? To whom?
- How is/might such knowledge be used by policy-makers?
- How can our research positively impact upon those most vulnerable to the effects of environmental change and natural hazards?
Format
A Cabot member will give a 15-20 minute talk for a generalist audience - on their research, or maybe ideas they've had for writing a grant proposal, a new area that they might want to move into - ending their talk with three accessible questions for an interdisciplinary audience, ideally questions that they might benefit from some feedback/discussion on.
Participants will be seated in interdisciplinary groups and will then discuss and feedback their ideas on the questions raised.
This event will run from 12 pm - 1 pm / 1.30 pm depending on how well the discussion goes.
Booking
Places are limited to 20 so you must book online.
Further information
For more information contact Dr Elizabeth Fortin
Important: This event is only open to UoB staff and students.