Draft of A Sociological Disaster Research Agenda for the Future: Theoretical, Methodological and Empirical Issues
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Date
1994
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Publisher
Disaster Research Center
Abstract
Description
Systematic and extensive social science disaster research has been going on for nearly five decades
now. Much worthwhile work has been done. A very large number of empirical generalizations have
been produced. Yet, I am troubled. In my view, the field more and more, is producing less and less,
of what might be characterized as major advances in new knowledge and understanding of disaster
related phenomena. Certainly one would be hard pressed to point to the production of new theories,
models, explanatory schemes and/or master hypotheses about the phenomena that are notably
different from what have been around for some time. In fact and worst, both relatively and
absolutely, little of the literature advances explicit theories, models, explanatory schemes and or master hypotheses of any kind. A partially completed informal content analysis of journals that publish disaster research articles in the social sciences support this contention.
Keywords
disaster research, theoretical issues, methodological issues, empirical issues