Disaster Diaries: Qualitative Research at a Distance

Abstract

The common-place quantification of humanitarian disasters enables rapid and informed crisis responses. In disaster settings, understanding feelings and perceptions regarding individuals’ experiences, livelihood disruptions and coping mechanisms can also be valuable for extending and deepening quantitative insight. This paper explores the potential for diary methods to capture extensive, nuanced data from marginalised groups during a disaster, by drawing upon a study with 100 young diarists (aged 15–29) who produced 1418 diary entries over 4 months. In particular, we share how diary-methods can be designed inclusively, through addressing themes of equitable research partnerships, supporting more vulnerable participants, ensuring data quality, data management, participatory analysis, and budgeting for collaborative research.

Black Sme’s and Covid-19: A South African Perspective on Risks in the Automotive Industry and Why Those Risks Should Be Managed

“…The research design employed a qualitative approach, as it was most effective in exploring the complexities of the COVID-19 phenomenon. The qualitative research method is considered the most appropriate for disaster-related research for several reasons (Mueller et al, 2023):…”

A lesson learned from the success of disaster prone village transformation into a socioeconomic cultural safety net and environmental conservation

“…This research used qualitative methods intended to illustrate the transformation in society over time complexly, primarily the transformation process of disaster-prone villages to resilience villages with social, economic, social, cultural and environmental conservation, as well as safety nets (Mueller et al, 2023;Zhao, Rasoulinezhad, Sarker, & Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2023). This study was carried out in the disaster-prone area within the North, South, and West areas of Mount Slamet, administratively located in the Purbalingga, Brebes, and Banyumas Regencies.…”

Effectiveness of resource management of Lebanese NGOs in response to COVID-19 and the Syrian crisis

“…COVID-19 nonetheless falls under the category of crisis (Lipscy, 2020). In such situations, humanitarian agencies and governments require rapid access to accurate data on specific shocks, scales, and geographic locations to respond quickly and effectively to the crisis (Mueller et al, 2023). Although quantitative data are advantageous in providing key indicators for humanitarian disaster targeting and rapid aid response, qualitative methods provide insight into experiences and opinions during and after disasters (Mueller et al, 2023), which can complement and extend the quantification and standardization of fundamental human needs (Merry, 2021;Lawson, 2021).…”

“…In such situations, humanitarian agencies and governments require rapid access to accurate data on specific shocks, scales, and geographic locations to respond quickly and effectively to the crisis (Mueller et al, 2023). Although quantitative data are advantageous in providing key indicators for humanitarian disaster targeting and rapid aid response, qualitative methods provide insight into experiences and opinions during and after disasters (Mueller et al, 2023), which can complement and extend the quantification and standardization of fundamental human needs (Merry, 2021;Lawson, 2021). In addition, qualitative data can provide important information about the complexity of unfolding scenarios, such as personal experiences of livelihood struggles and the evolution of vulnerabilities over time (Ogueji et al, 2021;Nakhaei et al, 2015;Raven et al, 2018).…”