Aims & Scope
Full-length Academic Papers
Papers in CDS address the problem of disasters from critical perspectives by bringing into the analytical framework of disaster studies several related bodies of knowledge: the broad social scientific literature on climate science and its insights into the planetary ecological effects of anthropogenic activities, studies that examine the manner in which contemporary capitalism, untethered from nominal public controls since the advent of neoliberalism, reorganizes populations, resources and environments in relationships that exacerbate ecological vulnerabilities while substantially removing from public purview and control priorities vital to life and well-being, and studies that foreground and engage with the continuities of historic patterns of structural violence along lines of race, class, gender, and sexuality. In doing so we seek to promote critical inquiry into the complex interplay of structures and processes tied to the continuities and disjunctures characterizing colonial and neocolonial relationships, the legacies and shifting contours of underdevelopment, and the problems and prospects for a politics of resistance in the contested terrains that are disaster outcomes.
Book Reviews and Review Essays
We invite proposals for book reviews and review essays. Please send your proposals to the editor (rswamy1@utk.edu). Your proposal should describe the book you intend to review (or books in the case of review essays), the relevance of your selection/s to the aims and purposes of Critical Disaster Studies, and an anticipated submission date. Book reviews should be between 800-1000 words in length, while review essays can be up to 2,000 words.
CDS Dispatches
We welcome short and focused submissions that draw attention to a topical issue or theme that might be presented in a range of formats, including but not limited to reflective narratives, photo essays, and multimedia. These submissions need not be based on original research, and will be assessed for relevance and reviewed by the editor. We encourage you to contact the editor (mailto://rswamy1@utk.edu) if you have any questions in this regard.