This seminar will be shared by two speakers; Eleonor Marcussen (Linnaeus University, Sweden) and Niladri Chatterjee (University of Oslo, Norway).

About the seminar

In their respective talks, Marcussen and Chatterjee will provide a historical overview of the politics of disasters and aid in South Asia, offering insights into the complex social, political, and institutional dynamics that shape disaster outcomes in the region. It will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners working on disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and governance in South Asia and beyond.

Disasters have become increasingly frequent and intense in South Asia, resulting in significant social and economic impacts that exacerbate existing vulnerabilities. In this context, it is imperative to understand the political dynamics that shape disaster governance and response, and how these dynamics interact with social vulnerabilities to shape the distribution of disaster impacts. This seminar presents a historical analysis of the politics of disasters in South Asia, drawing on a range of case studies – from colonial to postcolonial times – to explore the relationships between governance, vulnerability, and disaster outcomes.

About the speakers

Eleonor Marcussen is a researcher in History in the Department of Cultural Sciences and member of Linnaeus University Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies (LNUCC). She joined LNU as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2018.

Niladri Chatterjee is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Olso. He is a Visiting Researcher (since 2018) at the Centre for Concurrences in Colonial and Postcolonial Studies, Linnaeus University, Sweden, and was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, North South University, Bangladesh (2015-2019). 

No registration is needed - welcome!