Overview

Focusing on the spectacular disasters of the 1980s-the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Chernobyl meltdown, the Challenger space shuttle explosion, the Bhopal chemical plant release, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic-Ann Larabee examines how culture is reconstructed after disaster through victims' stories, media coverage, and official efforts to restore faith in technology.   Decade of Disaster gives voice to a diverse cast of disaster participants, including Bhopal widows, people with AIDS, Chernobyl tourists, NASA administrators, international nuclear power authorities, and corporate spokespeople. Integrating sources ranging from official reports and scientific studies to news stories, movies, and science fiction novels, Larabee explores the fierce debates that followed these disasters, as government agencies, corporations, public interest groups, academics, and local communities fought to control their meaning.   An incisive commentary at the intersection of cultural history and cultural studies, Decade of Disaster peels away layers and screens of rhetoric to expose the underlying process of cultural negotiation.  

Full Product Details

9780252068201

Table of Contents

Reviews

"""In this well-written book Larabee attempts to investigate the dynamics and context of disasters created by human activity. The author approaches the study of disasters from the perspective that the impact of a disaster extends well beyond coping with the disaster itself."" - Choice ADVANCE PRAISE ""Writing with grace, passion, and wit, Larabee treats these disasters collectively in terms of their cultural significance and skillfully reveals their deeper resonance.""-Steven Biel, author of Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster ""Decade of Disaster examines an inherently fascinating topic, and it does so with clarity, insight, and intelligence.""-Carl Smith, author of Urban Disorder and the Shape of Belief: The Great Chicago Fire, the Haymarket Bomb, and the Model Town of Pullman"

In this well-written book Larabee attempts to investigate the dynamics and context of disasters created by human activity. The author approaches the study of disasters from the perspective that the impact of a disaster extends well beyond coping with the disaster itself. - Choice ADVANCE PRAISE Writing with grace, passion, and wit, Larabee treats these disasters collectively in terms of their cultural significance and skillfully reveals their deeper resonance. -Steven Biel, author of Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster Decade of Disaster examines an inherently fascinating topic, and it does so with clarity, insight, and intelligence. -Carl Smith, author of Urban Disorder and the Shape of Belief: The Great Chicago Fire, the Haymarket Bomb, and the Model Town of Pullman

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Countries Available