Social capital as collective narratives and post-disaster community recovery

This paper examines how social capital aids in post-disaster community recovery and redevelopment. While previous studies on social capital and post-disaster recovery have tended to focus on social networks as a source of necessary assistance, the primary focus of this study is on how social capital...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Sociological review (Keele) 2011-05, Vol.59 (2), p.266-282
Main Authors: Chamlee-Wright, Emily, Storr, Virgil Henry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collective action
Communities
Community
Community development
Conceptualization
Cultural Capital
Data analysis
Disaster recovery
Disasters
Group Identity
Identity
Louisiana
Narratives
Natural disasters
Risk and disasters sociology
Social capital
Social Networks
Sociology
Sociology of knowledge and sociology of culture
Sociology of leisure and mass culture
U.S.A
Victimology
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Summary:This paper examines how social capital aids in post-disaster community recovery and redevelopment. While previous studies on social capital and post-disaster recovery have tended to focus on social networks as a source of necessary assistance, the primary focus of this study is on how social capital in the form of collective narratives affects post-disaster recovery. We argue that collective narratives can shape the recovery strategies that individuals adopt. To illustrate this we examine the post-Katrina recovery efforts in St. Bernard Parish, an area devastated by flooding and significant environmental damage. In particular, we focus on the shared narrative that dominated qualitative interview data collected in St. Bernard, namely, its shared identity as a close-knit, family-oriented community comprised of hard workers. This narrative led community members to adopt a strategy that emphasized self-reliance.
ISSN:0038-0261
1467-954X
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-954X.2011.02008.x