Resilience and disaster risk reduction: an etymological journey

Abstract

Abstract. This paper examines the development over historical time of the meaning and uses of the term resilience. The objective is to deepen our understanding of how the term came to be adopted in disaster risk reduction and resolve some of the conflicts and controversies that have arisen when it has been used. The paper traces the development of resilience through the sciences, humanities, and legal and political spheres. It considers how mechanics passed the word to ecology and psychology, and how from there it was adopted by social research and sustainability science. As other authors have noted, as a concept, resilience involves some potentially serious conflicts or contradictions, for example between stability and dynamism, or between dynamic equilibrium (homeostasis) and evolution. Moreover, although the resilience concept works quite well within the confines of general systems theory, in situations in which a systems formulation inhibits rather than fosters explanation, a different interpretation of the term is warranted. This may be the case for disaster risk reduction, which involves transformation rather than preservation of the "state of the system". The article concludes that the modern conception of resilience derives benefit from a rich history of meanings and applications, but that it is dangerous -or at least potentially disappointing -to read to much into the term as a model and a paradigm. Sagitta in lapidem numquam figitur, interdum resiliens percutit dirigentem.

‘Subjective resilience’: using perceptions to quantify household resilience to climate extremes and disasters

“…Although references to resilience can be found across the arts, literature, law, psychology and engineering (Alexander 2013), the use of the term within the ecological sciences has been particularly influential, where 'resilience' is used to understand and explain the different trajectories of ecological systems as they seek equilibrium (Walker et al 1969;Odum 1985;Alexander 2013). Ecological conceptualisations of resilience largely focus on the capacity of a system to absorb changes but still maintain its core function (Nguyen and James 2013).…”

A Framework for Disaster Vulnerability in a Small Island in the Southwest Pacific: A Case Study of Emae Island, Vanuatu

“…While the history of the term resilience in DRR is complex (Alexander 2013), the first modern interpretation for ecology can be traced to Holling (1973, p. 17) in which he defined ecological resilience as: ''the persistence of relationships within a system; a measure of the ability of systems to absorb changes of state variables, driving variables, and parameters, and still persist.'' From this initial conception, resilience has been used liberally to represent different social and physical phenomena (Cutter et al 2008).…”

Conceptual Delimitations Between Resilience, Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity to Extreme Events and Global Change

“…The first use of the resilience in the sense of being able to resist to a natural hazard (earthquake) dates back to 1857 (Alexander, 2013), but the concept has experienced a long evolution in mechanics, social sciences, psychology, ecology, adaptive management, disasters and global changes (there are partial transitions of meanings between different scientific fields) -table 1.…”

“…A consensus on the definitions of resilience might not be possible, and MacAskill and Guthrie (2014) underline that it is even necessary to accept the idea of having several valid interpretations of the concept, which could facilitate transdisciplinary understanding of resilience in risk management. By questioning the extent to which the introduction of a new concept can improve the understanding and addressing of issues such as vulnerability or risk, Alexander (2013) stresses that resilience can be used successfully as an explanatory concept, as long as its possibilities of modeling and insight are not overestimated.…”