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Multiple visions of Indonesia's mud volcano: understanding representations of disaster across discursive settings
Author(s) -
Drake Phillip
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
disasters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.744
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-7717
pISSN - 0361-3666
DOI - 10.1111/disa.12145
Subject(s) - mudflow , vision , natural disaster , accountability , indonesian , political science , sociology , public relations , environmental ethics , law , geography , meteorology , linguistics , philosophy , anthropology , debris
The Lapindo mudflow is one of the most controversial disasters in Indonesian history. Despite its unique biophysical features, most consider the mudflow a social disaster as scientific conflicts about its main trigger have evolved into legal disputes over accountability and rights. This paper examines this ‘trigger debate’, the stakes of scientific contention and the broader social and natural dynamics that shape the terms of this debate. A Latourian impulse drives this analysis, which aims to improve both understandings of—and responses to—complex disasters. This paper also notes that the stakes of representation extend to constructions of its stakeholders, especially to victims. As socionatural disasters become an increasingly common feature of the contemporary world, from mud volcanoes to extreme weather events caused by global warming, it is more important than ever to understand the dynamics of representing disasters and stakeholders.