Author(s):
Aaron J Williams, PhD(c)* - University of Calgary
Abstract:
The 2004 Andaman Sea-Indian Ocean Tsunami had a profound and enduring effect on communities, environment, and overall livelihood of survivors. For impacted regions, reconstruction and recovery efforts have permanent implications for the long-term sustainability of communities and the livelihood of individuals. This presentation examines policies enacted and the organizations and government bodies involved in the implementation of these policies for aid and recovery in the post-tsunami period. The presentation uses a diverse, yet geographically-focused lens to understand aid and long-term recovery in four communities in the tsunami-impacted province of Phang Nga in Southern Thailand.
The presentation will describe how employing an institutional ethnographical approach in this research provided a means of understanding the complexity of the recovery process from the perspective of impacted people; the reality of peoples lives within villages following recovery; and the broader influence of policies and laws created by institutions and government bodies that dictated the ruling relations of recovery. Uneven patterns of aid and recovery within the region of study that emerged during the research will also be discussed. Additionally, there will be a discussion of how such patterns are delineated by divergent policies for aid and recovery that set people on different trajectories in the reconstruction and recovery process. The presentation will conclude by identifying the value of coastal lands, which has emerged as the primary force influencing different policies for aid and recovery.
