Disaster Studies

This book covers several dimensions of disaster studies as an emerging discipline. It is the inaugural book in the series ‘Disaster Studies and Management’ and deals with questions such as “Is disaster management a field of practice, a profession, or simply a new area of study?” Exploring intersectionalities, the book also examines areas of research that could help enhance the discourse on disaster management from policy and practice perspectives, revisiting conventional event-centric approaches, which are the basis for most writings on the subject. Several case studies and comparative analyses reflect a critical reading of research and practice concerning disasters and their management.

The book offers valuable insights into various subjects including the challenge of establishing inter- and multi-disciplinary teams within the academia involved in disaster studies, and sociological and anthropological readings of post-disaster memoryscapes. Each of the contributors hasan enduring interest in disaster studies, thus enriching the book immensely. This book will be of interest to all the students and scholars of disaster studies and disaster management, as well as to practitioners and policymakers. 

“The idea of a book on disaster studies is fascinating and Professor Janki Andharia, has had hands on experience of working with communities and with governments. She is India's foremost scholar of disaster studies, and deserves credit for the commendable work for which she is well-acknowledged. This publication brings together a diversity of perspectives and exemplifies the widening canvas of this new and emergent discipline. I am sure that the book will be a valuable resource to the growing number of professionals working in the field of disaster/ emergency management- governments, academics, humanitarian agencies and civil society organisations.” (Professor S. Parasuraman, PhD, Ex- Director, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India)

“This important collection of essays reinforces the need for rigorous research and careful policy analysis. The two are skilfully intertwined in essays that capture the imperative for better analysis and honest appraisal of strategic interventions. Much of the material is from primary investigations and novel approaches, and no reader will not be influenced by the depth of understanding that the authors bring to this crucial subject of world-wide importance.” (Professor Edmund Penning-Rowsell, PhD OBE, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Middlesex University, London)

"This is an immensely important collection of essays. They hone in on the social, political and personal aspects of interpreting danger, of understanding hazard, of coping with avoidance of harm, and of designing forms of governance which build from managing disaster into creating a safe and dignified day-to-day living. …deconstruct the dominant institutional interpretations of danger, harm and the almost obsessive pursuit of for the restoration of normality. [an extract from the Foreword]." (Prof. Tim O'Riordan, OBE; Emeritus Professor, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK)

Professor Janki Andharia is Dean of the Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies (JTSDS) at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, India. She has over 30 years of experience in the fields of social development, community organization and disaster studies. Her research focus is on environmental concerns, social planning and participatory development, addressing diverse forms of marginalization and vulnerabilities. She has been involved in policy work and has had a long association with grassroots organizations. She was Head of the Department of Urban and Rural Community Development at TISS for ten years before moving on as founding Chairperson of the newly created Centre for Disaster Management at TISS in 2006. 

Professor Andharia was awarded the Association of Commonwealth Universities Scholarship in the year 1990 to pursue her PhD. at the School of Environment Sciences, University of East Anglia UK in the area of Gender, Development and Environment. She has participated in over 20 national disaster response activities and contributed to post-disaster relief and rehabilitation, e.g. by spearheading an assignment on institutionalizing community participation, and in connection with a five-year field action project undertaken by TISS in the World Bank supported Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme after the Latur quake. In 2004, she led the TISS initiative on post-tsunami rehabilitation planning at Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In 2015, Professor Andharia was accorded the “Best Professor in Disaster Management Award” by National Education Leadership Awards. This was in recognition of the critical leadership she provided in the establishment of a multidisciplinary Centre for Disaster Management, now a School, which introduced a new Masters programme on the subject in 2007, focusing on concerns of social and environmental justice. She was also the recipient of an award for outstanding contributions to education at the World Education Congressand its Global Awards for Excellence in Education, Leadership and Teaching in 2015.

Professor Andharia has published extensively, has successfully led several international missions to forge collaborations between TISS and other Universities, and has offered special lectures both in India and abroad. Prominent among these was a partnership with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva, which now offers an on-line Certificate programme on Disaster Management in partnership with the JTSDS, TISS.