Post-disaster reconstruction relies on, and is shaped by, the good intentions of states, non-governmental organizations, and donors. These intentions, however, are inescapably framed by historical circumstances and cultural values. Consequently, post-disaster interventions can reinforce patterns of prejudice, injustice, and disadvantage that were entrenched in pre-disaster settings. Focusing on the experiences of Indigenous Rukai communities in southern Taiwan during recovery and reconstruction following Typhoon Morakot in 2009, this article explores the challenges faced in addressing Indigenous-specific concerns in post-disaster reconstruction and community development. We argue that institutional capacity (and capacity deficits) and the procedural vulnerability created in post-disaster responses are components of the risk landscape which require greater attention to diverse cultural values, protocols, and experiences in fostering resilient and inclusive disaster recovery approaches. In Taiwan, the particular complexities of Indigenous geographies, colonial and postcolonial circumstances, and contemporary political dynamics make developing approaches that are respectful of Indigenous cultural values, social aspirations, and political processes not only more difficult but also more important in shaping post-disaster community at multiple scales. Attentiveness to these values, aspirations, and processes generates opportunities for decreasing vulnerability to the extraordinary and the everyday disasters that communities confront.
Post-disaster discourses emphasize the importance of community in fostering reconstruction, yet the focus on recovering from a “natural” disaster can obscure the slower-paced disasters of displacement, dispossession and marginalization. The pre-disaster circumstances of Indigenous peoples influenced reconstruction after Typhoon Morakot, which devastated Taiwan in 2009, and have shaped the relations in which Indigenous groups are embedded as well as the terms used to represent them. “Community”, already contested in its application within various settings, masks a multilingual complexity in Taiwan. This paper explores how the idea of community was mobilized in post-Morakot reconstruction between 2009 and 2015, drawing on ethnographic research within Indigenous Rukai domains and interviews with various institutions. Taking a historical approach to Rukai experiences in Wutai Township, it discusses how imaginings of community reinforce rather than address risk and vulnerability for Indigenous populations in hazardous landscapes, and how external agencies perceive as self-evident what they mean by “community development” and “needs”.
In many disaster settings, top-down responses emphasise 'expert-led' solutions that often involve relocating disaster-affected communities. While the intention might be to move people from harm's way and facilitate recovery, failure to attend to local pre-disaster circumstances as well as the interplay between power, resilience and vulnerability within and around affected communities often sees resettlement reconfigure as displacement or disconnection. This oversight may even usher in a new phase of dispossession and disadvantage for marginalised groups (particularly in colonial settings). This paper explores experiences in Australia, Japan and Taiwan to reflect on what issues of local sociality, local culture and local resilience need to be attended to in framing 'better' disaster responses.
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