A Survey of the Field of Natural Hazards and Disaster Studies

The geographical and temporal patterns of disasters are first described and then considered in terms of the underpinnings and causes of human vulnerability. These include population increase, marginalization, the militarization of vulnerable societies, the politicization of aid, the accumulation of capital goods, and the dual role of technology as a source of both vulnerability and mitigation. Some of the bases of theory in hazards studies are reviewed and considered in the light of the development gap in mitigation — the wide gulf between the vulnerability of industrialized and least developed countries. The phenomenon of disaster is considered theoretically in terms of its fundamental dimensions: time, space, magnitude and intensity. Finally, the various disciplinary contributions to disaster studies are assessed and compared. Reasons are given for practitioners’ reluctance to undertake interdisciplinary work.