Disasters are part of the modern condition, a source of physical anxiety and existential angst, and they are increasing in frequency, cost and severity. Drawing on both disaster research and social theory, this book offers a critical examination of their causes, consequences and future avoidance.

A comprehensive guide to understanding New Zealand society through a sociological lens.This 4th edition introduces core sociological concepts and methods, then applies them to key areas of New Zealand life: class, race, gender, family, health, technology, and more. Case studies from working sociologists illustrate real-world applications and encourage critical thinking. Updated data and a new chapter on death reflect contemporary issues.Understand soc...

Being Sociological considers the lived experience of sociology, stressing the active nature of social life and highlighting the role that students can play in enacting social change. Fully reworked in this third edition, with five brand new chapter topics and a diverse roster of new contributors, this textbook presents a fresh take on society today.The book encourages readers to examine both enduring challenges and their potential solutions. Dynamic learning features help ...

This book critically surveys a decade of disasters in Ōtautahi Christchurch. It brings together a diverse range of authors, disciplinary approaches and topics, to reckon with the events that commenced with the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence. Each contribution tackles its subject matter through the frame of Critical Disaster Studies (CDS). The events and the subsequent recovery provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from a series of concatenating urban disasters in orde...