Friday-at-Noon Lecture Series
Friday, January 27                                                           1636 SSWB/International Institute
12:00 í¢â‚¬“ 1:00 pm                                                                1080 S. University Ave, Ann Arbor

David Napier
Medical Anthropologist, University College, London
Assessing Vulnerability Under Extreme Conditions in Myanmar
Co-sponsored by the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
 

Abstract: Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on May 2, 2008. It was the second worst cyclone of all time and the worst ever in the region, killing at least 138,000 people. Relief efforts were hampered both by the scope of the disaster and by the military governmentí¢â‚¬â„¢s relations with international NGOs. The combined effect was a significant inability to assess accurately the needs of the areas that were hit hardest, leading to the increased vulnerability of those who survived the initial storm. Accurately assessing vulnerability may be the most critical factor in distributing relief appropriately following natural and human disasters. Part of the problem (raised by critics of the 'aid industry') is that top-down programs superimpose ideologies that may not be feasible or appropriate, and that frequently neglect--if not wholly ignore--local values. While several techniques exist for applying local observations of vulnerability to large-scale interventions, the ability to correlate successfully the two activities has until recently been quite difficult. This talk describes an enhanced assessment technique developed following the Nargis tragedy.

David Napierí¢â‚¬â„¢s (PhD, Social Anthropology, University of Oxford) interests range from concepts of personhood, including medical botany and human ecology; immunology and the elimination of Otherness; and transformation, psychological growth, stress and well-being across cultures. Much of his field research has taken place in Buddhist-Hindu South and Southeast Asia.