Emergency preparedness as public pedagogy: the absent–presence of race in ‘Preparing for Emergencies’

Abstract

Emergency preparedness can be considered to be a form of lifelong learning and public pedagogy with implications for race equality. The paper is based on an ESRC project 'Preparedness pedagogies and race: an interdisciplinary approach' considering the policy process around the construction of the 'Preparing for Emergencies' (PFE) campaign. This campaign which appeared as a leaflet (distributed to every household in the UK) and as a television campaign was a belated response to preparedness by the UK government post-9/11. The results in the paper are based on 20 interviews and two focus groups conducted in 2009-2010. Interviews were conducted with a previous home secretary, members of the cabinet office, private sector security consultants, civil servants and emergency planning committees. Using a Critical Race Theory (CRT) informed methodology we find that both for white and BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) respondents in our focus groups 'race' and racialised ascriptions are important to their interpretation of PFE. For white respondents PFE is seen to be most relevant in urban areas at risk of crime and terrorism whereas BME respondents considered that they were potentially pathologised by PFE as potential terrorists. In policy interviews we find that a series of signifiers around race are used to consider the need for responsibilisation within PFE. In conclusion we consider that examining preparedness through the lens of public pedagogy extends theoretical and empirical work on securitisation particularly in terms of considering the responses of various audiences. We also argue for further engagement with CRT in security, and more generally lifelong learning, research.

Pedagogies of the Unknown: Unpacking ‘Culture’ in Disaster Risk Reduction Education

“…It illustrates the kind of discursive strategies that produce this homogenization and subsequent standardization of language and action devices. Building on the approach developed by critical pedagogy (Chakrabarty, ; Preston, , , ; Preston, Avery, Chakrabarty, & Edmonds, ), I will illustrate some of the political and practical consequences of DRR educational devices. Far from being a neutral technology of learning, DE actually represents ‘a way in which identities and subjectivities are reinforced and formed’ (Preston, , p. 6).…”

Two nations underground: building schools to survive nuclear war and desegregation in the 1960s

“…The A+ school shows exclusively white children being protected in a new circular school and the themes in this film are close to the almost eugenic features of early cold war films more generally in which the protection of whiteness is central (Preston, 2012;Preston, Avery, Chakrabarty and Edmonds, 2011). It is interesting in the second film that it was a mixed White / Hispanic rather than a White / African American school that was chosen for an underground design.…”

Situating preparedness education within public pedagogy

“…Both concepts have been broadly defined and diversely utilised, and the treatment of 'preparedness education' as part of 'public pedagogy' has been increasingly seen in recent literature (e.g. Chadderton 2015a; Izumi and Shaw 2014;Preston 2012;Preston et al 2011). However, conceptual discussion as to how and why the two fields are associated has been limited; this paper aims to fill this gap.…”