A Solidarity Approach to Disaster Management: Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery in Contemporary Cuba

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Through a cross-disciplinary approach, this project will assess the effectiveness and complexities of Cuba's holistic disaster management system which is not only reliant on efficiency but also on socio cultural values of solidarity and participation. Combining key disciplines (cultural studies and development geography) and methods (Critical Discourse Analysis), it will effectively analyze theunderlying cultures that inform, support, and propel Cuba's disaster management practices.Cuba's distinctive disaster management model is extremely successful: despite several hurricanes every year, the loss of human life remains extremely low (Kirk 2017: 2). Through policy, risk reduction, andmass participation, an organized and effective system has been developed since 1959 to protect the population and infrastructure. However, contemporary research on the Cuban disaster managementmodel tends to focus on specific aspects such as specific systems or historical periods, rather than exploring how the system functions across society.Cuba's disaster management system will be examined through the framework of solidarity, which is defined as a "relation forged through political struggle which seeks to challenge forms of oppression"(Featherstone 2012: 5). Solidarity highlights interconnection and commitment and requires "implicit agreement of many individuals as of a group" alongside "complete unity as of opinion, purpose, andinterest" (Kritikos et al. 2007: 73). This reflects closely the thinking of 19th-century intellectual José Marti, often described in Cuba as the intellectual author of the Cuban Revolution, who argued that"happiness exists on earth, and it can be won by means of the prudent exercise of reason, the knowledge of universal harmony, and the constant practice of generosity" (2007: 51). Marti's ideascontinue to serve an important intellectual and ideological function for both Cuban society and government. Hence, this project explores the crucial importance of Cuba's community-based solidarity inenabling success in disaster management.Key research questions include:- How does solidarity inform policy and practice in Cuba's disaster management?- How is it internalized and reproduced in discourse and action across the population?- How can the concept and action of solidarity be adapted for disaster management strategy internationally?Through examining how the discourse and action of solidarity in disaster response are realized across government policy, mass media representation, and grassroots perceptions and actions, this projecttherefore makes a new contribution to understanding the subject in Cuba and beyond.Year 1: Literature review at the Hennessy Collection, University of Nottingham; drafts of Chapter 1 (theories, concepts, approaches, and cultures of disaster management) and Chapter 2 (Cubanapproaches to disaster management).Year 2: Refinement of research questions; fieldwork in Cuba; drafts of Chapters 3 and 4 (data analysis on policies, practices, and cultures in Cuba).Year 3/3.5: Drafting of final thesis; design and delivery of impact and public engagement (digital resource, exhibition, photo essay, and/or documentary film)Global disaster management is now urgent, and diverse strategies must be explored to address climate change. By analyzing Cuba's complex model, this project will generate knowledge-sharing, informinternational disaster management policies, and contribute to developing effective approaches to mitigating natural disasters, the great global challenge of our time.