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What Does Transformation Look Like? Post-Disaster Politics and the Case for Progressive Rehabilitation

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  • Sophie Blackburn

    (Department of Liberal Arts (Geography), King’s College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK)

Abstract

This paper responds to the ‘deliberate transformation’ discourse within climate change and disaster scholarship. It calls for a cautious approach to deliberate transformation as a practice space for non-governmental organisations (NGO), arguing that greater clarity is still needed on precisely what form these transformations may take, how and where they might be stimulated, and—most importantly—who decides. Drawing on a case study of post-disaster NGO interventions in the Andaman Islands following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the paper analyses the role of community-based, rights-oriented education and advocacy programmes in opening space for communities to critically reflect on state responsibilities, capacities, and weaknesses. It argues that these shifts were potentially transformative for the ways local people interact with the state in Little Andaman; however, it also surfaces pragmatic and ethical challenges to the notion of ‘deliberate transformation’ in practice. The data reveal transformations to be complex, spontaneous, and fundamentally political, with simultaneously divergent pathways of change and re-entrenchment; this presents a deep challenge to external agencies seeking to instigate transformation in planned, linear ways over known timescales. A further challenge relates to deliberate transformation as a normative endeavour. The paper argues that any attempt to actively instigate deliberate transformations according to pre-determined visions held by external actors is a direct contradiction to the principle that progressive transformation—as defined in the literature—should be shaped deliberatively by the values and priorities of citizens themselves. To avoid diluting the radical power of transformation as a principle, the paper proposes progressive rehabilitation as an alternative approach in post-disaster contexts, requiring a transformation of the NGO itself from ‘doing to’ to ‘doing with’ citizens, with an emphasis on supporting locally-defined futures. The paper thickens the conceptualisation and evidence base for transformation pathways, with implications for research and practice.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophie Blackburn, 2018. "What Does Transformation Look Like? Post-Disaster Politics and the Case for Progressive Rehabilitation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-18, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:7:p:2317-:d:156222
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Eriksen, Siri & Schipper, E. Lisa F. & Scoville-Simonds, Morgan & Vincent, Katharine & Adam, Hans Nicolai & Brooks, Nick & Harding, Brian & Khatri, Dil & Lenaerts, Lutgart & Liverman, Diana & Mills-No, 2021. "Adaptation interventions and their effect on vulnerability in developing countries: Help, hindrance or irrelevance?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Misato Uehara & Makoto Fujii & Kazuki Kobayashi & Keita Shiba, 2022. "Narrative-Based Disaster Learning Programmes Simultaneously Improve People’s Disaster Awareness Scores, Willingness to Pay and Settlement Preferences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-17, May.
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    5. van Es, Mariëlle & Bruins, Bert, 2023. "Pro-poor change in the aftermath of disasters – Exploring possibilities at the intersection of disaster politics and land rights issues in Central Philippines," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).

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