Abstract

People experience disasters very differently, often supposing they possess the most “correct” or “rational” interpretation of reality. In this session, two speakers will discuss conflicting attitudes and practices in dealing with risks and disasters, introducing the concept of “fields of practice” using two case studies: the HIV -AIDS crisis in Botswana and the volcanic crisis of El Hierro, Canary Islands. Fields of practice describe different social nexuses employing specific perceptions and dealings, due to either profession, social ties, or worldview. Individuals are always part of such fields but simultaneously singularities, meaning that they can personally make a difference, especially in disaster situations. The ruptures and dynamics between different worlds of experience and ways of dealing with risk are not a “flaw in the system” but the key to a better understanding of disastrous situations, as this seminar will explore.