Theory
What is "denaturalizing disaster" or "social autopsy"?
This central concept, which argues that disasters like the Chicago heat wave are not merely natural phenomena but the result of social and political processes and conditions.
What is a "social autopsy"?
This research approach, central to Klinenberg's study, aims to go beyond superficial explanations to reveal the underlying social conditions of a disaster
What were the approximate number of heat-related and excess deaths during the 1995 Chicago heat wave?
Over five-hundred Chicagoans died directly from the heat, and over seven-hundred deaths were reported in excess of the weekly average
What is the overarching conclusion about the preventability of the heat wave deaths?
The study concludes that the deaths during the 1995 Chicago heat wave were "readily preventable."
What is the social morphology and political economy of vulnerability?
This theoretical framework examines how pre-existing social structures shape disaster vulnerability, including spatial segregation and abandonment by the state.
What are the mixed research methods employed by Klinenberg in his study?
Klinenberg utilized a combination of field work, interviews, statistical data, cartographical analysis, and historical studies of Chicago in his investigation.
Who were the most vulnerable and surprisingly resilient demographic groups during the heat wave?
This demographic group, primarily poor seniors, suffered the highest mortality, while Latinos had a remarkably low mortality rate despite their socioeconomic status.
What was the significant difference in outcomes between the first and second heat waves, and what did it demonstrate?
The city's emergency plan during the second heat wave, involving millions of dollars in services, cooling centers, and coordinated aid, resulted in only two heat-related deaths, demonstrating the effectiveness of active state intervention.
What are the three core social conditions and processes in Klinenberg's disaster model?
The social morphology and political economy of vulnerability; the role of the state; and the tendencies of journalists and political officials to naturalize disasters.
How did cartographical analysis contribute to understanding the heat wave's impact?
The use of maps in the study helped correlate heat-related death rates with existing ethnoracial and class divisions, per capita income, and homicide rates, revealing non-"natural" spatial patterns of mortality
How did literal social isolation and fear impact vulnerable residents during the heat wave?
Poor seniors often "barricaded themselves in their small homes" due to fear of violence and a lack of alternatives, leading to little contact with family or services and making it difficult or risky to leave their apartments.
What is the "everyday crisis" or "slow death" that the heat wave brought to light?
This phrase refers to the "normalized collective insecurity" and "degradation of life" in the most impoverished and stigmatized neighborhoods, which the heat wave exposed but the city is still less capable of addressing.
How does Pierre Bourdieu's work contribute to understanding the "naturalization" of disasters?
Pierre Bourdieu's work on the state and the journalistic field helps explain how these entities legitimize "symbolic violence" and render invisible the political economy of vulnerability and the state's role in disaster reconstructions.
What is Klinenberg's main critique of dominant public health methodologies regarding the heat wave?
Klinenberg criticizes public health studies for focusing on individual risk factors rather than the susceptibility of communities to health catastrophes, which "displaces social inequality from the center of the story."
What were the contrasting socio-spatial characteristics between North Lawndale and South Lawndale that influenced their differing mortality rates?
North Lawndale, a declining, predominantly African-American area, had high mortality due to economic abandonment and degraded conditions, while South Lawndale, a growing Latino community, had low mortality due to strong social networks, extended families, and vibrant neighborhood life.
What two broader societal processes, linked to the structure of disaster vulnerability, make future "social autopsies" increasingly relevant?
The retrenchment of the welfare state and the advancement of marginality (e.g., neighborhood degradation, housing crises), exacerbated by global warming, are two processes that make future urban environmental disasters more likely.