Understanding the role of culture in the post disaster reconstruction process: the case of tsunami reconstruction in Tamilnadu, Southern India
type: CreativeWork
description: This thesis is developed in built environment context on the premise that integrating cultural aspects in development produces sustainable ways of living for communities affected by natural disasters. It employs a conceptual framework to validate the argument that cultural dimensions of the affected communities are not effectively and sufficiently addressed in the current post disaster humanitarian and development processes. This has been well articulated in this study from the analysis of shelter reconstruction process in 2004 tsunami hit fishing villages of Tamilnadu. The main contribution of this thesis to theory and practice is delivered in three sections. Firstly, it explains the relevance of the conceptual framework that synthesises two different fields of enquiry i.e. cultural anthropology and urban design to analyse the role of culture in the evolution and development of traditional settlements in post disaster contexts. As culture has got multiple interpretations in different contexts, this framework contextualises and defines the cultural dimensions through which communities tend to give meanings to their living or built spaces in the post disaster development contexts. This is followed by the analysis of reconstruction processes in three tsunami hit fishing villages in Tamilnadu, Southern India, in which the author has carried out primary research as part of his PhD study. It also explains the relevance of the conceptual framework in selecting the case study areas for this study. It is aimed to identify how diversified cultural settings respond to the tsunami reconstruction processes to sustain their lives and livelihoods. The analysis of this primary research unfolds the specific impacts and the reasons for such responses in the post tsunami reconstruction process, by comparing and contrasting the findings from the three case studies. From the comparative and combined analysis general development issues that are observed from all the case studies has bee…
abstract: This thesis is developed in built environment context on the premise that integrating cultural aspects in development produces sustainable ways of living for communities affected by natural disasters. It employs a conceptual framework to validate the argument that cultural dimensions of the affected communities are not effectively and sufficiently addressed in the current post disaster humanitarian and development processes. This has been well articulated in this study from the analysis of shelter reconstruction process in 2004 tsunami hit fishing villages of Tamilnadu. The main contribution of this thesis to theory and practice is delivered in three sections. Firstly, it explains the relevance of the conceptual framework that synthesises two different fields of enquiry i.e. cultural anthropology and urban design to analyse the role of culture in the evolution and development of traditional settlements in post disaster contexts. As culture has got multiple interpretations in different contexts, this framework contextualises and defines the cultural dimensions through which communities tend to give meanings to their living or built spaces in the post disaster development contexts. This is followed by the analysis of reconstruction processes in three tsunami hit fishing villages in Tamilnadu, Southern India, in which the author has carried out primary research as part of his PhD study. It also explains the relevance of the conceptual framework in selecting the case study areas for this study. It is aimed to identify how diversified cultural settings respond to the tsunami reconstruction processes to sustain their lives and livelihoods. The analysis of this primary research unfolds the specific impacts and the reasons for such responses in the post tsunami reconstruction process, by comparing and contrasting the findings from the three case studies. From the comparative and combined analysis general development issues that are observed from all the case studies has bee…
author: Pasupuleti, R.S.
date published: 2011
date modified: 2026-07-24T06:02:11Z
provider: University of Westminster
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Westminster

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.34737/8zzv4