When disaster strikes, a ritual unfolds: a flood of experts, bureaucrats, and analysts rush to the scene; personal tragedies are played out in a barrage of media coverage; on the ground, confusion and uncertainty reign. In this major comparative study, Gregory Button draws on three decades of research on the most infamous human and environmental calamities to break new ground in our understanding of these moments of chaos. He explains how corporations, state agencies, social advocacy organizations, and other actors attempt to control disaster narratives, adopting public relations strategies that may either downplay or amplify a sense of uncertainty in order to advance political and policy goals. Importantly, he shows that disasters are not isolated events, offering a holistic account of the political dynamics of uncertainty in times of calamity.

About the Author
Dr. Gregory Button is a nationally recognized expert on disasters who has been studying extreme events for over thirty years. As a reporter and producer for public radio he covered and reported on the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the controversy surrounding Love Canal and the eruption of Mount St. Helens. He has also been a U.S. Congressional Fellow in the Senate. He is currently a faculty member in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Social Justice.


Book Information
ISBN 9781598743890
Author Gregory Button
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint Left Coast Press Inc
Publisher Left Coast Press Inc
Weight(grams) 408g