Black Beaches and Bayous The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster

Black Beaches and Bayous: The BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster provides a multidisciplinary, international perspective on one of the major disaster events within the United States during the last ten years. Scholars from various disciplines including sociology, political science, ecology, psychology, and criminal justice investigate the different components and issues associated with this event. The contributors address topics such as the social and historical context of fossil fuel use, steps within the technological disaster process, and similarities and differences between this disaster and other technological disasters. They also discuss the social and psychological impacts on Gulf Coast residents, the transformation of natural ecological systems, changes in risk assessment, and media portrayals of the Obama administration and its response to this disaster.

Lisa A. Eargle is a professor of sociology at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. Her research examines disasters and their impacts upon society and the environment. Ashraf Esmail is an assistant professor in social sciences at Southern University at New Orelans. His research interests include urban, multicultural, and peace education; family; cultural diversity; political sociology; criminology; social problems; and deviance.