Description
Book SynopsisIn December 2004 the Indian Ocean tsunami devastated coastal regions of Sri Lanka. Six months later, the author returned to the village where she had been conducting research for many years and began collecting residents' stories of the disaster and its aftermath. This book describes how catastrophe changed social identities, economic dynamics.
Trade ReviewMichele Ruth Gamburd's new book contributes rich views into the micro-dynamics of local experiences of relief and reconstructions projects.Vol. 73.1-2 2014
* Asian Ethnology *
The Golden Wave would be ideal for use in introductory-level undergraduate anthropology or sociology courses on disasters and humanitarian aid. It would also be well placed in introductory courses on economic anthropology.
* The Journal of Asian Studies *
Sensitively written, this an articulate social anthropologist's examination of the immediate and ongoing much longer impact of 2004's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. . . This is the best kind of microstudy. It merits much praise for its thick description and authenticity. . . Highly recommended.
* Choice *
[G]amburd shows that all of the narratives demonstrate how 'Under cover of disaster, capitalist interests can pursue neoliberal agendas, humanitarian workers can implement culturally inappropriate policies, and people pursuing international economic and political agendas can ignore or refuse local input'—a story that is repeated over and over from Nicaragua to New Orleans to Pakistan and beyond, and to which Gamburd has added rich narrative coupled with insightful analysis.71.2 2015
* Journal of Anthropological Research *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Political Ethnography of Disaster
Wijitha's Story
1. That day: Chaos and Solidarity
Dr. Priyanka's Story
2. Deaths: Fate and Vulnerability
Pradeep and Manoj's Story
3. Short-term Camps: Chaos and the Crafting of Order
Sumendra's Story
4. Housing: Temporary Shelters, Permanent Homes, and the Buffer Zone
Lalitha's Story
5. Dangerous Liaisons: The Power, Peril, and Politics of Mediating between Donors and Recipients
Jagath's Story
6. Business Recovery: Tourism and Construction
Dayawansa's Story
7. Reconstructing Class: Discourse on Theft, Loot, Cheating, and Gifts
Fazmina's Story
8. The Politics of Corruption: Accusations and Rebuttals
Tharindu's Story
9. Citizenship and Ethnicity: The Tsunami and the Civil War
Conclusion
