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Editorial: vulnerable spatialities

Editorial: vulnerable spatialities The tsunami of 26 December 2004 provided an empirical lens to explore the multiple geographical dimensions of population vulnerability. Examining the global reach of the tsunami provides a useful starting point in researching the changing spatial significance of events such as this. Defining spatial vulnerabilities is, however, very problematic, especially when producing conventional metrics such as measuring the death rate is so difficult. The paper explores the spatialities of vulnerability relative to what is knowable about the political, economic and social contexts of vulnerable peoples'. It is argued that ‘spatial context’ needs to be conceptualised as contingent, and that relational understandings can help to understand how vulnerabilities, including those associated with the tsunami, are represented. While relational thinking has profound implications for how spatial vulnerabilities are studied by researchers working amongst communities at risk, the article closes by recommending that population researchers maintain a pluralistic vision of research praxis. In discussing these issues the article also provides a conceptual framework within which the work of other geographers in general, and the contributions of other papers in this special issue in particular, may be located. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Population, Space and Place Wiley

Editorial: vulnerable spatialities

Population, Space and Place , Volume 11 (6) – Nov 1, 2005

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References (17)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 2005 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
1544-8444
eISSN
1544-8452
DOI
10.1002/psp.399
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The tsunami of 26 December 2004 provided an empirical lens to explore the multiple geographical dimensions of population vulnerability. Examining the global reach of the tsunami provides a useful starting point in researching the changing spatial significance of events such as this. Defining spatial vulnerabilities is, however, very problematic, especially when producing conventional metrics such as measuring the death rate is so difficult. The paper explores the spatialities of vulnerability relative to what is knowable about the political, economic and social contexts of vulnerable peoples'. It is argued that ‘spatial context’ needs to be conceptualised as contingent, and that relational understandings can help to understand how vulnerabilities, including those associated with the tsunami, are represented. While relational thinking has profound implications for how spatial vulnerabilities are studied by researchers working amongst communities at risk, the article closes by recommending that population researchers maintain a pluralistic vision of research praxis. In discussing these issues the article also provides a conceptual framework within which the work of other geographers in general, and the contributions of other papers in this special issue in particular, may be located. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Journal

Population, Space and PlaceWiley

Published: Nov 1, 2005

Keywords: ; ; ; ;

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