In the Instructor’s Introduction I gave the example of how the people of Aceh viewed the 2004 tsunami “more as the latest obstacle life has thrown at them than as a cataclysmic blow” (Miller, 2005, p. 1031). This raises an interesting issue of how a group’s culture can affect the way its people are impacted by traumatic events. Discuss why various cultures may react differently to similar disasters. Please focus your response on specific cultural differences that affect either intervention, rebuilding, or mourning, etc. Here are a few examples to get you thinking: |
- Is the way a culture understands (interprets) the source of the disaster (will of God, fate, witchcraft, etc) an important consideration? For example, after Hurricane Katrina, the Columbia Christians for Life proclaimed that God had struck the city in order to destroy its five abortion clinics.
- What is the importance, if any, of understanding the verbal interactions and socially appropriate ways to express emotions in the target culture?
- What happens in different cultures when relatives cannot bury the dead according to their traditional customs? Consider the following chapter entitled “Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations” athttp://www.paho.org/english/dd/ped/DeadBodiesBook-ch4.pdf
Additionally, you may also find the following to be of interest: by John H. Ehrenreich, Ph.D., (October, 2001) at guidebook http://www.toolkitsportdevelopment.org/html/resources/7B/7BB3B250-3EB8-44C6-AA8E-CC6592C53550/CopingWithDisaster.pdf.Discuss why various cultures may react differently to similar disasters.
Specifictions:
Your essay should be a minimum of approximately 5-8 double-spaced pages in length (no more than 1″ margins with either Times New Roman font, size 12 or Arial font, size 11). This length refers to content alone–you cannot count your title page or the final reference list as part of the length.
