For too long people have waited for that “one big disaster” to force change from outside. We propose that the time for waiting is at an end.
Disaster researchers have a moral obligation to work for justice.
Structural racism, legacies of colonialism, profit-centered and militaristic disaster planning, political corruption, and willful ignorance of historical disaster patterns are not mysterious factors—they are all well documented and known. For too long people have waited for that “one big disaster” to force change from outside. We propose that the time for waiting is at an end. An organization of disaster researchers committed to disaster justice is urgently needed, particularly in the context of the ongoing climate crisis. The goal is not simply reform, but also agitation and action built on a clear strategy for change. Read more…
Defining Justice
The theory of disaster justice draws its premises from studies of social vulnerability, justice theory, disaster law, and the environmental justice movement. There are many ways that justice defines our work as scholars, practitioners, and activists around the world.
This group is inclusive of the many ways disaster is defined. Power can be challenged in many ways. Yet, we strive towards a common strategy to restore human dignity by elucidating, actively challenging, and abolishing any form of prejudice or harm. We seek to coalesce around core precepts of disaster justice while aligning with multiple dimensions of more nuanced definitions.
Working Areas
Disaster Researchers for Justice (DRJ) is formed to address these needs. To achieve this DRJ seeks to serve as a space for global affinity groups aligned towards disaster justice.
“In a world where suffering from disaster is chronic and unequal, disaster scholars have unique insights into the processes that create, intensify, and prolong disastrous conditions. As such, disaster scholars should unite towards the implementation of evidence-based policy; and, they should work together to hold government, exploitative corporations and multi-nationals, and other passive institutions accountable.”
-DRJ Mission Statement
Contact us
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
If you’re a researcher or journalist, please click Join Us for more information.
Email
disasterresearchersforjustice@gmail.com