Opportunities Lost and Found: The Everyday Politics of Disaster in Bangladesh
This study sheds new light onto the legacy of cyclone Sidr. Sidr ravaged the southern coast of Bangladesh 15 November 2007, leaving thousands dead and affecting millions. Given lower death tolls than previous cyclones, the response to Sidr has gained international recognition and become an oft-cited case of successful disaster preparedness.
"We are living in the mouth of the sea. If it swallows, we will be washed away". Photo: Maren Aase
About
This study revisits the standard framing of the response to Sidr. Moreover, it contributes to research exploring the ever more projected idea of ‘disaster as a window of opportunity’, asking if and how responses to disasters associated with natural hazards can produce positive change, for whom, how – and for how long. Methodologically, this research examines the aftermath of Sidr through a qualitative approach. Key findings include that while the aftermath of Sidr actually did entail several opportunities for risk reduction among poor cyclone survivors, such opportunities were time and again hijacked, or simply lost.
Read more: 'Cyclone summer', FokusIndia, 2016; 'Katastrofehjelpen som ikke kan deles ut', FokusIndia, 2017.
Project completion (monograph): 2018.
Financing
The Norwegian Research Council.
Cooperation
Human Rights and Extreme Poverty Project (completed)
Ethics, Rights and Poverty: Global Theory and National Practice (completed)