Health, Risk, Disaster (HeaRD): Social Science and Post-Disaster Community Reconstruction

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The problem of health and disasters is widely studied, but overwhelmingly through the relatively narrow frame of 'disaster medicine'. This means that most of the extant scholarly work seeking to understand the link between health and disasters does so through the investigation of patterns of disease prevalence or risk, or examinations of the management of health care during the acute phase of disasters. However, health and illness are not only biological and medical products but also socially, politically and culturally produced. Health outcomes following disaster can be strongly influenced by the social environment, for example in terms of how people perceive health risks, problems of social isolation following the breakdown of community, or lasting impacts of evacuation and social disruption. There is a clear need for further research in this area in both the UK and Japan. For Japan, persistent effects of past disasters (notably the Fukushima Triple Disaster) leave a legacy of social and community disruption which is often focused on issues of health or healthcare. Events over the past summer (earthquake in Hokkaido, typhoon across several Prefectures of western Japan, heatwave) unfortunately serve to emphasise the importance of understanding these issues further. Within the UK, while disasters such as floods and fires have - as elsewhere - proven to be widespread, health and disaster research in the social sciences and humanities is an undersubscribed research area; there is a relative dearth of work in this field in the UK (compared for instance to the US or Japan) and a need to consolidate research expertise and develop further capacity. UK scholars can learn from the Japanese experience while Japanese scholars will also benefit from closer collaborations and increasing capacity in relation to recent and persisting disasters. This grant will support the creation of a network of researchers in the UK and Japan from across the social sciences and critical public health in exploring the social and political dimensions of health and disasters for post-disaster communities. The network will consist of a novel interdisciplinary constellation of scholars who individually and collaboratively interrogate the link between disasters and health from social perspectives. This network will be delivered through a set of key processes: 1.) a three-day symposium in Minamisoma, Fukushima (Japan) bringing together scholars working at the interface between health, disasters, and SSH; 2.) Development of a network website for the sharing of information and methodologies, and to serve as a site of introduction to potential research collaborations; 3.) A project development and grant-writing event at the University of Edinburgh to produce collaborative proposals for research in this areas; 4.) A conference held at the University of Edinburgh to present work and share information around the theme of the social sciences, disasters and health. All of the above-outlined processes will include the work of early career academics, which will further ensure the robust development of this research area. The named collaborators on this proposal will draw upon existing sub-disciplinary and institutional networks and contacts to ensure diversity of (sub)disciplinary representation and the inclusion of scholars at all career stages. This will serve as the building-block for transformational transdisciplinary work on the issue of health and disasters, which is much-needed given the cross-cutting nature of health impacts of disaster-affected communities. The network will provide the launch for sustainable research relationships across the UK and Japan on this topic.