Speaker: Gail Adams-Hutcheson

University of Waikato

This presentation offers critical analyses of post-disaster relocation arguing that intersectionality and the ethical implications of conducting disaster research requires attention. First, I maintain that disaster scholars predominantly disseminate knowledge in masculinist and hierarchical frameworks that privilege utilitarian responses. These responses, however, are incongruous to the diverse experiences of earthquake survivors. By following the stories of 18 Christchurch families who relocated to the Waikato post-earthquakes, I reveal the importance of paying close attention to connection and empathy. Second, examining research praxis shows that ethical contracts fit within tight institutionalised framings which are, in the field, highly fragmented and fluid. I ask then, what the contingencies are of: other people, the complexities of encounters, and the peripheral which cannot be anticipated when drawing up institutionalised documentation. What parameters do ‘we’, as researchers, control and not control? And, does it matter?

BIOGRAPHY:

Dr. Gail Adams-Hutcheson is a Teaching Fellow in Geography at the University of Waikato. Her post-PhD research focuses on transient communities in post-disaster and in farming spaces. Her interests include critical geographies; feminist methodologies; disasters; and mobilities. Email: gail.hutcheson@waikato.ac.nz