Through a case study of post-Katrina New Orleans, this project funded by the Science, Technology & Society (STS) Program, addresses the broader research question of how communities successfully or unsuccessfully rebuild after human and natural disasters. The project focuses on the epistemic dimension of various interacting groups -- homeowners, neighborhood groups, non-governmental organizations, local governments, and federal agencies to identify some of the factors that influence successful repatriation and restoration. Public understanding of science theory and analytical tools in STS are used to understand the participation of citizens and lay-people in the formation, hybridization, and use of expert knowledge. New political sociology of science theory is used to provide insight into institutional knowledge production such as how the convergence of rules, routines, cultures, meanings, and resource distributions influences knowledge making. This research project contributes to these STS specialties as well as providing information about rebuilding after disaster.
The project uses mixed methods to study three neighborhoods undergoing rebuilding efforts. The broader impacts lie in the development of causal explanations potentially relevant to other communities dealing with rebuilding after a disaster. The knowledge of effective and least effective organizational, agency, and citizens dynamics is useful for policymakers, organizational leaders, and community activists alike. The project is meaningful for future STS research on lay and expert knowledge and practices in the aftermath of disasters and other human settlement disruptions. Because rebuilding after disasters, both in the U.S. and abroad, includes funding, expertise, and/or labor from a combination of NGOs, government agencies, and the citizens themselves, it is important to understand how effective relationships are constituted.
