The rise and fall of collective public action in the aftermath of the Gujarat Earthquake of 2001

Main author: Simpson, Edward
Format: Monographs and Working Papers           
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id eprints-5580
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description In the aftermath of natural disasters there is typically an upsurge of collective public action and protest. Individual concerns inter-mingle with collective endeavours in both traditional and new ways. This article explores such collective forms of public action in the aftermath of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, and the role of nostalgia as a mobilising political force in particular. Nostalgia emerges as both a creative and cathartic force, but its effects on public action are short-lived. It is argued that nostalgia has a short life span not simply because the disaster moves into the past and new concerns come to the fore but because the changing dynamics of the relationship between individuals and social collectives make nostalgia an unsustainable form of collective representation.
format Monographs and Working Papers
author Simpson, Edward
author_facet Simpson, Edward
authorStr Simpson, Edward
author_letter Simpson, Edward
title The rise and fall of collective public action in the aftermath of the Gujarat Earthquake of 2001
publisher London School of Economics and Political Science
publishDate 2008
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/5580/