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 colonizers 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.

Greg Bankoff is Senior Lecturer in the School of Asian Studies at the University of Auckland.