The Government of Disasters

This book examines the history of disaster management in South Africa, showing how experts, professionals and policymakers have crafted and implemented disaster policies from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. It assesses the ways in which states become concerned with disasters, the extent to which disaster management contributes toward state formation, and who and what disaster management protects. It also considers the ways in which the politics of protection continuously shift as political regimes change. In telling the story of how policies surrounding disaster protection have evolved in South Africa, the book demonstrates how the security apparatus that shaped disaster management was re-oriented in the twenty-first century towards development, alongside bureaucratic reforms that aimed to democratize the state. By examining the wider context of the globalization of disaster management, it also highlights the often unrecognised role of experts from Africa, Latin America and Asia in shaping global disaster policies. The book will appeal to scholars and students of disaster governance, public policy, state formation, and African politics.

“An innovative book that sheds new light on the government of disasters through a fine and empirically sound case study that reminds us of the central role of states in defining the contours of security and in extending the domain of crisis. A brilliant book that is particularly recommended reading in times of crisis.” (Sandrine Revet, Senior Researcher, Sciences Po-CERI, France)

“Lydie Cabane’s ‘The Government of Disaster’ is a provocative and illuminating study of how efforts to construct a policy domain of disaster management laid the groundwork for the modern South African state. The book shines in its meticulous empirical analysis, showcasing how struggles to define legitimate sources of danger and deserving objects of protection, produced the state’s scientific and bureaucratic institutions and transformed the nation’s history and politics.” (Saptarishi Bandopadhyay, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Canada)

Lydie Cabane is Assistant Professor in Governance of Crises at Leiden University, The Netherlands. Her research interests include public policy, expertise, and the governance of crises.