A Narrative of the Disaster: Understanding the Experience of Zahab Earthquake in the Context of a Traumatized History

• Published in: Outlines. Critical practice studies Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 45 - 62
• Main Authors: Moshiri, Niloufar Baghban, Aalizad, Ismail
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Copenhagen, Denmark Outlines, Critical Practice Studies 01-01-2023
• Subjects: Culture; Disasters; Earthquakes; Ethnography; Field study; Kurdish people; Narratives; Oral history; Perceptions; Social exclusion; Social history; Social sciences; Sociology; Iran
• ISSN: 1399-5510; 1904-0210

[...]there remains a sociological aspect for the approach which is sometimes passed over by the practitioners of the school; narrators' interpretation of the event and their description of that, is rooted in their historical experience and the epistemological apparatus that is intertwined with social context and cultural background. While there is a deep gap between Kurdish Sunni culture of the region and the formal Persian Shia culture of the country, there also exists a diverse range of religious beliefs, languages of everyday-life and cultural rituals within the area. [...]the sociology of disaster, if applying a hermeneutic approach, has no choice but to stand on this intersection while studying such experiences. Human communities perceive the world differently, suffer differently and react differently to specific events; on the basis of their lived experience and the meaning they ascribe to those events. [...]what is the role of social history of Zahab in understanding the earthquake? The team was consisted of the students and professors of sociology, anthropology, social work and welfare planning who performed field observations and in-depth interviews with over ninety people in Zahab and nearby villages. Because of the social, ethnic, religious and cultural gaps with research population, gate keepers helped to facilitate communication and gain trust of the narrators.