The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Photo of Mo Hamza

Mo Hamza

Researcher

Photo of Mo Hamza

Locating potential sources of capacity and vulnerability in geographically remote areas : Reflections based on three case studies

Author

  • Mo Hamza
  • Kerstin Eriksson
  • Reidar Staupe-Delgado

Summary, in English

The relationship between geographical and social forms of remoteness and the concepts of vulnerability and capacity remains unclear. Recognising that capacities and vulnerabilities tend to co-exist in a population, the article assumes that the dynamics between these concepts are situational. In this article we draw on three cases to analyse the issue. An Arctic case study provides insight on remoteness in terms of latitude, followed by an Andean case study reflecting on the role of altitude, and lastly an Island community case study provides a perspective on external isolation (recognising that island communities are also typically connected). From these cases we glean a number of preliminary insights for further investigation. One is that remote communities tend to avoid dependence on external actors when possible. Second, power dynamics between remote communities and centralised actors can make disaster management difficult if local capacities are overrun but trust is not present. Third, remoteness mainly becomes a direct source of vulnerability if remoteness translates into neglect, rendering places ‘peripheral’. Generalisable insights suggest that relationships take time to build and cannot be easily established after the fact. The cases hence suggest that remote areas typically have a strained relationship with centralised authorities which fosters local coping strategies but also a fear of external dependence, which may ultimately prove problematic in times of adversity.

Department/s

  • Division of Risk Management and Societal Safety

Publishing year

2021-09-01

Language

English

Publication/Series

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

Volume

63

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Elsevier

Topic

  • Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
  • Other Civil Engineering

Keywords

  • Arctic
  • Disaster risk reduction
  • Islands
  • Mountain environments
  • Remoteness
  • Resilience
  • Vulnerability

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2212-4209