‘Cultural capital’ refers to the way people understand and know the world, and how they act within it. It includes ethnicity, habits, language, stories, traditions, spirituality, heritage, symbols, mannerisms, preferences, attitudes, orientations, identities, norms, values, and the process and end products of cultural and artistic pursuits.(1–3).
This page is part of the Guide to Disaster Recovery Capitals.
WHAT WE KNOW
Peoples’ thoughts and actions are influenced by their culture, including those of recovery workers(4). Cultural norms and attitudes towards marginalised groups (e.g. LGBTIQ people(5,6), sex workers(7), Aboriginal people(8) and people with disability(9)) can have negative impacts on experiences of disaster and recovery through stigma, discrimination and lack of appropriate support. These experiences can be compounded for people who belong to multiple marginalised groups(10).
WHAT WE KNOW
Cultural elements that enable some communities to fare relatively well in recovery include: cultural cohesion, common narratives of shared history, sense of collective identity, shared meaning-making and cultural strategies(11)(12). In particular, the shared histories and close ties that characterise many migrant and Indigenous communities have the potential to support resilience(8,11,13). However, external forces during recovery may degrade this cultural capital or inhibit its use in recovery(1,8,13).
WHAT WE KNOW
Gender norms influence experiences of disaster and recovery in many ways. This includes influencing decisions made during emergencies (e.g. different social expectations of women and men)(14–16), how people behave afterwards and whether this is accepted (including violence and aggression)(17,18), and whether people seek support(18).
WHAT WE KNOW
Cultural norms and attitudes towards disasters, loss and support shape people’s experiences of recovery. This includes how people express their experiences, and how others respond(13,19). People may experience grief over loss of community members(20), animals(21,22) and the natural environment(8,23) – for example, Aboriginal peoples may experience the loss of a particular tree as a family loss(8)..
WHAT WE KNOW
Cultural and spiritual meanings are often attached to nature, such that changes to the natural environment following disasters have implications for mental health and wellbeing(23,24). For Aboriginal people these experiences can be particularly profound due to the deep connections between land, culture, history, colonisation and identity(8,25).
WHAT WE KNOW
The knowledge, values and cultural practices of Indigenous peoples around the world can be highly valuable in disaster preparedness, response and recovery(13,26,27). However, this value is often not fully recognised or drawn upon in mainstream emergency management(8), in part because it can conflict with or be undermined by top-down, national or state-wide approaches(13,26).
In Australia, there is growing interest in the value of cultural burning and traditional ecological knowledge in bushfire risk reduction. Yet Aboriginal voices have largely been ignored in broader discussions of resilience and recovery, despite the depth of knowledge within Aboriginal communities about strength, resilience and living with Country(8,27).
WHAT WE KNOW
For many people, engagement in artistic, creative and cultural pursuits is an important part of healing, self-expression and growth after disasters(28,29). Creative pursuits can provide opportunities for personal reflection, social connection and the sharing of experiences(28). They can also be a means of revitalising a sense of place and community, as occurred through community-initiated art installations in empty urban spaces after the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes(30).
This resource has been developed through the Recovery Capitals (ReCap) project.
Artwork on this page by Oslo Davis and Frances Belle Parker.
Please contact Phoebe Quinn with any comments or enquiries: (03) 8344 3097, phoebeq@unimelb.edu.au or info-beyondbushfires@unimelb.edu.au.
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