The rise and fall of collective public action in the aftermath of the Gujarat Earthquake of 2001

Simpson, Edward

Abstract

In the aftermath of natural disasters there is typically an upsurge of collective public action and protest. Individual concerns inter-mingle with collective endeavours in both traditional and new ways. This article explores such collective forms of public action in the aftermath of the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, and the role of nostalgia as a mobilising political force in particular. Nostalgia emerges as both a creative and cathartic force, but its effects on public action are short-lived. It is argued that nostalgia has a short life span not simply because the disaster moves into the past and new concerns come to the fore but because the changing dynamics of the relationship between individuals and social collectives make nostalgia an unsustainable form of collective representation.

Citation

Simpson, E. The rise and fall of collective public action in the aftermath of the Gujarat Earthquake of 2001. London

• Working Paper Type: Working Paper
• Deposit Date: Oct 13, 2008
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 17, 2025
• Publisher: London School of Economics and Political Science
• Pages: 1-44
• Publisher URL: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/NGPA/publications/ngpa_wp11.htm
• Additional Information: Additional Information : © 2008 Edward Simpson, NGPA, London School of Economics