Narratives of disaster

In Stage 1, EXPLORE, we untangle the social narratives that frame our shared more-than-human practices of living with, and experiencing fire. We follow the thread of such narratives in institutional, normative and public discourses and actions of the legislator, governance organisations, and the media.

We focus on two major narrative frames: public policies and the media.

Public policies

We collect and analyze legal and normative instruments, as well as official documents and management plans around wildfire management and animal protection in each of the three countries. In Australia and Brazil, both federal states (unlike Portugal), we are looking at the federal and state levels.

This information is compiled in a database on public policies, animals and disasters, updated throughout the project’s duration, thus setting the basis for an observatory on the topic. This database will be made available for scientific secondary analysis by students and scholars, after the end of the project.

Media

We collect news pieces from traditional media (newspaper and television), as well as written and visual materials from social media, from each of the three countries under study. This information is compiled in a database on media, animals and disasters, updated throughout the project’s duration, thus setting the basis for an observatory on the topic. This database will be made available for scientific secondary analysis by students and scholars, after the end of the project.

Funded by the European Union (ERC, ABIDE, nº 101043231). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.