Acts of Aid
Politics of Relief and Reconstruction in the 1934 Bihar–Nepal Earthquake

This history of an Indian earthquake aftermath analyses the role of civil society, the colonial state and international aid in disaster relief.

Eleonor Marcussen (Author)

9781108838092, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 May 2023

300 pages
23.7 x 16.1 x 2.7 cm, 0.61 kg

This socio-political history on the aftermath of the 1934 Bihar–Nepal earthquake explores disaster aid, relief, and reconstruction and the questions they give rise to about class, communities and inequality. The book traces disaster responses across the twentieth century in order to demonstrate how they were embedded in political processes transcending the event of the earthquake. Aid, relief and reconstruction mirrored political agendas and ideas that articulated both changes and continuities by the colonial state, civil society and international organisations. The impact of the earthquake and aid in its wake varied widely according to social groups, ethnicity and gender in the aftermath. By studying the effects of the earthquake on communities directly affected and society, the author argues that we can come closer to an understanding of the role political, social and cultural factors held in shaping resilience to natural disasters. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

List of Maps
List of Images
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Glossary
Note on Transliteration
1. Introduction: Experiencing the Extraordinary and the Ordinary
2. Responses and Responsibilities in Emergency Relief
3. From Local to National Politics of Relief
4. Colonial Relations in Aid
5. Categories of Victims
6. Congested and Contested Spaces
7. Conclusion
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Natural disasters [RNR], Politics & government [JP], Social impact of disasters [JFFC], Social & cultural history [HBTB], History: specific events & topics [HBT], History [HB]