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Disasters and Social Inequalities
Author(s) -
Reid Megan
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
sociology compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 31
ISSN - 1751-9020
DOI - 10.1111/soc4.12080
Subject(s) - inequality , vulnerability (computing) , social vulnerability , sociology , social inequality , face (sociological concept) , field (mathematics) , disaster research , work (physics) , race (biology) , criminology , social class , disaster recovery , social psychology , political science , social science , gender studies , computer security , geography , psychology , psychological resilience , computer science , engineering , law , mechanical engineering , mathematical analysis , mathematics , meteorology , pure mathematics
In this article, I review recent research on the relationship between social inequalities and disasters, focusing on the areas of social vulnerability to disaster and social inequalities in disaster recovery. I highlight how race, class, and gender structure the disaster experience such that marginalized populations are most vulnerable to the negative consequences of a disaster and face significant challenges in recovery. Then, I discuss the next steps for advancing disaster studies. First, scholars should work to develop improved methodologies for disaster research. Second, theoretical work on defining, theorizing, and classifying disasters is needed. Finally, the field should incorporate other intersectional dimensions of social inequality into the study of disasters.