The Angry Earth explores how various cultures in different historical moments have responded to calamity, offering insight into the complex relationship between societies and their environments.
From hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes to oil spills and nuclear accidents, disasters triggered by both natural and technological hazards have become increasingly frequent and destructive across the planet. Through case studies drawn from around the globe the contributors to this volume examine issues ranging from the social and political factors that set the stage for disaster, to the cultural processes experienced by survivors, to the long-term impact of disasters on culture and society. In the second edition, each chapter has been updated with a postscript to reflect on recent developments in the field. There is also new material on key present-day topics including epidemics, drought, non-governmental organizations, and displacement and resettlement.
This book demonstrates the relevance of studying disaster from an anthropological perspective and is a valuable resource not only for anthropologists but for other fields concerned with education, policy and practice.
Anthony Oliver-Smith is a professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Florida, USA. He has done anthropological research and consultation on issues relating to disasters and involuntary resettlement in Peru, Honduras, India, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Japan, Panama, and the United States since the 1970s. His current work is concerned with climate change, disasters, displacement, and migration. He is a recipient of the Bronislaw Malinowski Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Society for Applied Anthropology.
Susanna M. Hoffman is an internationally recognized expert on disaster. She is the author, co-author, and editor of twelve books, two ethnographic films, and more than forty articles and chapters. She initiated the Risk and Disaster Thematic Interest Group for the Society for Applied Anthropology, and is the founder and chair of the Risk and Disaster Commission for the International Union of Anthropology and Ethnographic Sciences. She was the first recipient of the Fulbright Foundation’s Aegean Initiative dealing with the Greek and Turkish earthquakes, and helped write the United Nations Statement on Women and Disasters. She is a frequent national and international speaker, and also serves on the Task Force on World Food Problems.
