Interest of Social Representations Theory to grasp coastal vulnerability and to enhance coastal risk management

• Catherine Meur-Ferec ^[1] ; Elisabeth Guillou ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Western Brittany

     University of Western Brittany

     Arrondissement de Brest, Francia

     
• Localización: PsyEcology: Bilingual Journal of Environmental Psychology / Revista Bilingüe de Psicología Ambiental, ISSN-e 1989-9386, ISSN 2171-1976, Vol. 11, Nº. 1, 2020, págs. 78-89
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/21711976.2019.1644003
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Interés de la Teoría de las Representaciones Sociales para entender la vulnerabilidad costera y para mejorar la gestión de los riesgos costeros
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    Este artículo teórico aporta una nueva perspectiva sobre el análisis de la vulnerabilidad costera, mediante la combinación de enfoques geográficos y psicosociales. La mayoría de estudios sobre las percepciones de los riesgos costeros encuentran que las personas expuestas tienen un nivel bajo de vulnerabilidad percibida (no están nerviosos), un fuerte apego al lugar (aman el lugar en que habitan y quieren vivir cerca del mar) y son resistentes a los cambios a las estrategias de adaptación (no quieren mudarse a otro lugar). Para los científicos y gestores procedentes de las ciencias naturales estos resultados a menudo parecen paradojas que potencian la vulnerabilidad y llevan a etiquetar a estas personas como ‘irracionales’, ‘en fase de negación’, ‘desinformados’, o ‘sin educación’. Basándonos en nuestros estudios a largo plazo con habitantes de zonas costeras en Francia, creemos que emplear la Teoría de Representaciones Sociales en este contexto nos permite ir más allá de estas ideas preconcebidas e individualistas, hacia una visión más contextualizada. Esta posición amplía el alcance de la investigación teórica sobre riesgo/vulnerabilidad y es aplicable a la gestión de riesgos en el litoral.

  • English

    This theoretical paper provides a new perspective on coastal vulnerability analysis by combining geography and psycho-social approaches. Most studies on perceptions of coastal risks report that people who are exposed have a low level of perceived vulnerability (they are not anxious), strong place attachment (they love their living place and want to live close to the sea) and are resistant to changes in adaptation strategies (they do not want to move away). For natural scientists and managers, these findings usually appear as paradoxes that enhance vulnerability and lead to these people being labelled ‘irrational’, ‘in denial’, ‘uninformed’ or ‘uneducated’. Based on our long-term studies among coastal inhabitants in France, we believe that using Social Representations Theory (SRT) in this context enables us to go beyond these preconceived and individual-centred ideas towards a more contextualized view. This position extends theoretical risk/vulnerability research and is applicable to coastal risk management.

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