'Preparedness pedagogies' and race: an interdisciplinary approach
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East London
Department Name: Cass School of Education & Communities
Abstract
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Organisations
Publications
Chakrabarty N
(2011)
The uncanny character of race: an exploration of UK preparedness through youth performance
in Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance
John Preston (author)
Thanking the unthinkable : afrofuturism and the false promises of peace education
Namita Chakrabarty (author)
(2010)
Theatre of survival : preparedness participation and white supremacy
Namita Chakrabarty (author)
(2012)
Buried alive : cultural absence in civil defence preparedness
in Race, ethicity and education
Namita Chakrabarty (author)
A tale of two cities : trusting the Obamas, and mistrusting community : race since the G20
Namita Chakrabarty (author)
The uncanny : cultural performance of absence
Preston J
(2012)
Disaster Education
Preston J
(2012)
Disaster Education
Preston J
(2011)
Emergency preparedness as public pedagogy: the absent-presence of race in 'Preparing for Emergencies'
in International Journal of Lifelong Education
| Description | 1. Contemporary preparedness makes use of a spectrum of pedagogies including public and dramaturgical. Contemporary preparedness efforts rely on a mixture of pedagogies. The use of text instructions, memory aids, reconstruction activities, and information technologies and video (as illustrated by the site produced by Avery, 2009) are frequently part of the pedagogical mix that becomes part of a fused pedagogy of affect, behaviour, and cognition (Preston, 2009a). These can be analysed not just in terms of 'conventional' pedagogical categories. Firstly, they can be examined as public pedagogies, popular cultural forms that are pedagogical through enactment rather than (necessarily) direct teaching (Preston, 2009b). Secondly, drama and performance are employed in contemporary sites of preparedness to produce 'theatres of survival' (Chakrabarty, 2010a - conference paper) which are often racially orientated towards the representation of and prioritising of 'white' racial interests (Chakrabarty, 2011). This points towards understanding contemporary preparedness as not only multi-modal and pedagogical but increasingly using new pedagogical techniques (the public and the dramaturgical). This finding has informed future research through an EPSRC / ESRC funded project (John Preston PI) 'Game Theory and Adaptive Networks for Smart Evacuations' (October 2010 - October 2012) which will examine the ways in which we can understand and improve city evacuations as 'co-produced' by the public, using multi-modal technologies. 2. Race, 'tacit intentionality' and the 'absent presence' of 'race' in preparedness In none of our research did we encounter any participant who was prejudiced or any evidence of overt racism in policy. However, tacitly assumptions were often made which could disadvantage BME people. Following the work of Gillborn, we would refer to these as 'tacit intentionality' (Preston, 2009c - conference paper) in that by not taking 'race' explicitly into account in preparedness or policy planning some are tacitly advantaged / disadvantaged. Preparedness materials which advantage 'whites' also intersect with other social characteristics such as masculinity (Preston, 2010a). Examples of good practice included awareness of multiple language materials, taking into account access to material resources in preparedness planning. With regard to the future research plans in this area UEL has agreed to appoint from October 2010 a PDRF to work on areas of 'critical race theory' and 'disaster education'. 3. Who is preparedness for? In our focus group research a common finding was that no one considered that preparedness was 'for them'. This lack of connection (and sometimes outright rejection) of preparedness was due to issues of representation and consultation. |
| Exploitation Route | We will be conducting further work with community groups around issues of racism, discrimination and preparedness using the networks established through the project. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | http://s290179663.websitehome.co.uk/prepare/ |
| Description | The project has been fed back both to the community groups involved and policy makers through the final report. This has resulted in positive comments. Although it might be naïve to expect policy makers to take some of these on board given the contentious and critical nature of the work we have had positive feedback from the policy makers we have interviewed. For example, Jennifer Cole of RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) was interested in the findings in terms of community preparedness. However, most specifically we have had impacts on teenagers and emergency planners in Sussex as a result of the ethnographic and performance work. The young people and the emergency planning professionals who participated in Emergency Exercise 2010, the performance ethnography, were invited to participate in an internet forum after the event to reflect on the project; their responses showed that the young people learnt about the world of preparedness, which they had hitherto known little about, through the performance of the exercise; the young people especially appreciated being allowed into a preparedness site, a nuclear bunker, and this privilege both gave them a feeling of power, but also of responsibility; the professionals involved realised that the contribution that young people may make to preparedness would be useful in the future, this was something they had sought before with little success via questionnaires, but also the professionals discovered the negative preconceptions of emergency professionals, as seen by the young people involved. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
| Sector | Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Security and Diplomacy |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | West Sussex local authority / schools response |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Influencing schools and local authorities to consider equity issues in preparedness. A simulation of an emergency exercise was conducted with members of West Sussex local authority and pupils / students local schools. This exercise was conducted in a civil protection bunker and was based upon similar pedagogical activities used by local authorities and government. As a result of this exercise the members of the local authority present considered that it was more important that they involve young people in emergency planning. Pupils at the exercise considered that it had introduced them to an appreciation of emergency management. The activity and the student comments can be found at:- http://ukpreparedness.ning.com/ |
| URL | http://s290179663.websitehome.co.uk/prepare/ |