Citation

Binder SB, Baker CK. Disasters 2016; 41(2): 282-305.

Affiliation

Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/disa.12203

PMID

27238575

Abstract

Research on diverse cultural contexts has indicated that aid organisations often fail to leverage local, culturally-grounded resources and capacities in disaster-affected communities. Case-study methodology was employed to explore the relationship between local and external disaster response efforts in American Sāmoa following the earthquake and tsunami on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean, with a specific focus on the role of culture in defining that relationship. Interview and focus group data from 37 participants, along with observational data, suggested that the local response to the event was swift and grounded in Samoan cultural systems and norms. External aid was viewed as helpful in some respects, although, on the whole, it was seen as a disruption to village hierarchies, social networks, and local response efforts. The study discusses the implications for the role of outside aid in diverse cultural contexts, and makes suggestions for improving the ecological fit of post-disaster interventions.

© 2016 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2016.

Language: en