Communication in a Post-Disaster Community: The Struggle to Access Social Capital

Authors

  • Donald Matheson University of Canterbury
  • Annalee Jones independent researcher

Keywords:

social capital, communicative social capital, disaster recovery, Christchurch earthquakes

Abstract

This article conceptualizes social capital in communicative terms to describe the social resources available to members of one suburb in Christchurch, New Zealand, as they seek to recover from a natural disaster. It notes how communicative social capital was distributed unequally and frequently experienced as in deficit or as inaccessible. The idea of community was a powerful focal point for residents, but there was little evidence that social connectedness at this level provided the resources for civic engagement more generally. The idea of the city that arose out of people’s shared ideals and investment in collective civic institutions appeared to be still broken three years on from the initial disaster.

Author Biographies

Donald Matheson, University of Canterbury

DONALD MATHESON is an Associate Professor in Media and Communication at the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa, New Zealand.  He is the author of Media Discourses and the co-author ofDigital War Reporting. He is co-editor of Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics and writes on journalism practice, with particular emphasis on digital developments, ethics and discourse practices.

Annalee Jones, independent researcher

ANNALEE JONES works in communication in Wellington, New Zealand. She is a graduate of the Media and Communication Honours programme at the University of Canterbury. She conducted this research while a Summer Scholarship recipient at the university.

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Published

2016-03-14

Issue

Vol. 10 (2016)

Section

Articles

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