1st Edition
Cultures of Disaster Society and Natural Hazard in the Philippines
In this fascinating and comprehensive study, Greg Bankoff traces the history of natural hazards in the Philippines from the records kept by the Spanish colonisers to the 'Calamitous Nineties', and assesses the effectiveness of the relief mechanisms that have evolved to cope with these occurrences. He also examines the correlation between this history of natural disasters and the social hierarchy within Filipino society. The constant threat of disaster has been integrated into the schema of daily life to such an extent that a 'culture of disaster' has been formed.
Biography
Greg Bankoff is Senior Lecturer in Southeast Asian History at the University of Auckland. His previous books include Crime Society and the State in Nineteenth-Century Philippines (Hawaii University Press: 1996).
'Often intriguing , the book provides a fascinating historical account of the intertwining of society and a hazardous environment in the Philippines.' - Department of Geography, National University of Singapore
'Cultures of Disaster addresses important issues about human - environmental interaction in the Philippines. The author should be commended for their achievement in advancing knowledge on this vital, if still under researched subject.' - Department of Geography, Kings Collage, London
