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Geographical imaginations and the (geo)politics of volcanic risk: cultures, knowledges, actions

Project description

Holistic approach to volcanic risk

Volcanoes have long involved complex social, cultural and political dynamics. They are cultural symbols – sources of fear and fascination, and a focus for civil protection. Still, the management of volcanic risk has largely depended on uncertain information from physical scientists about volcanic activity, compounded by a dearth of related cultural and geopolitical studies. The project IMAGINE aims to combine science studies, human geography and disaster risk reduction, providing a holistic approach to volcanic risk. The project focuses on understanding volcanic and disaster risk as the result of a chain of complex interactions and relationships between landscape, community, science and politics.

Objective

Volcanoes can be cultural symbols, a source of fear, of fascination and of scientific study and a practical problem for civil protection: they involve complex social, cultural and political dynamics, and often have multi-scalar, trans-border impacts. Yet the management of volcanic risk tends to be strongly dependent on uncertain information from physical scientists about volcanic activity, with social scientific studies concentrating on social vulnerability and communication, and there is a relative dearth of studies that address the cultural and (geo)political contexts of scientific knowledge production in particular places. Geographers have explored the role of “geographical imaginations” in scientific discourses in other fields such as climate change: people, including scientists, imagine the social and physical landscapes around them. This project seeks to combine science studies, human geography and disaster risk reduction to provide a holistic approach to volcanic risk, and inform ongoing discussions about scientific advice in disasters more broadly, through a consideration of the geographical imaginations of scientists and populations. It focuses on understanding volcanic and disaster risk as a consequence of complex interactions and relationships between landscape, community, science and politics that blur the boundaries between society and nature. It combines methods from the social and physical sciences in Latin America and East Africa to investigate: (i) the ways in which scientists and people who live on volcanoes interpret and live with their environment; (ii) the interaction of national authorities with these modes of living, and how national borders affect them; (iii) the power dynamics of warnings within these contexts and across them; (iv) the implications of this approach for disaster risk reduction more broadly. Outcomes will include two books, several sets of scientific papers and three international meetings.

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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ERC-STG - Starting Grant

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2018-STG

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Host institution

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 437 933,00
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 437 933,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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