Panel 47: Roundtable: Learning from and Teaching through Envirotechnical Disasters

Chair: Anna Geltzer, University of Notre Dame

Panelists

Noriko Hanabusa, University of Notre Dame

Joshua Kuiper, University of Notre Dame

We live in the age of envirotechnical disaster. As extreme weather events, climate-related impacts, global epidemics and industrial accidents proliferate, it is imperative to examine such events–how they came to be, and how local and national communities responded to them–for lessons on resilience and justice. In March 2011, the Tōhoku region of Japan suffered a “triple disaster” of an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown, causing the displacement of over 160,000 people and the deaths of over 15,000. Among the most significant natural- and man-made disasters in recent history, its impacts on local economies and global stakeholders continue to garner attention, and it holds many lessons for communities of experts, of policy makers, and for communities alike.

But these lessons are not conveniently divided along disciplinary and institutional boundaries. This is why for several years now our interdisciplinary team of faculty and a rotating cohort of students have been studying the process of recovery from 3/11, creating a platform for the development and teaching of courses and the elaboration and completion of research projects. In this round table, we will discuss the history of the project reflecting on its successes and challenges, present some of the research questions and findings that have been pursued in the context of the project, and reflect on the lessons that this project can offer the Asian studies community more broadly.