UCL Centre for Gender and Disaster
The UCL Centre for Gender and Disaster is based at UCL Risk & Disaster Reduction, with the aim to develop awareness of, and responsiveness to, gender for risks and disasters through excellence in research and teaching. It is building the evidence base for all aspects related to gender and disaster, including climate change, complex emergencies and humanitarian si
tuations. The Centre will:
• Expand upon everyday understandings of ‘gender’ to move beyond simplistic binary categorisations towards a more fluid comprehension of identities, adopting an intersectional approach;
• Define ‘disaster’ broadly to include events and processed triggered by natural hazards, humanitarian crises, as well as internal or cross-border conflicts.
• Combine gender and disaster research with disparate subject strands, in some of which gender is often absent or of low perceived salience. For example:
o Climate Change • Communication • Conflict • Design • [Dis]Abilities • Engineering • Violence • Governance • Health • Migration; Planning • Resource Management • Transport • Urbanism • and many more;
• Develop and support challenging research questions and evidence-based research and teaching;
• Provide a connection space for supporting, mentoring, advising, co-managing, and building research capacity in gender and disasters;
• Co-create a gender and disaster evidence and data repository;
• Cultivate a creative fusion, building on the locational benefits of London, and the world class university environment that is UCL. UCL, with its radical and revolutionary roots, and its emphasis on ‘disruptive thinking’ is the perfect home for this cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral research Centre. The Centre’s sister organization, the Gender and Disaster Network www.gdnonline.org, is already located at UCL, providing a social and professional, networking and advocacy space. The new Centre for Gender and Disaster will provide a solid research hub in one of the leading research universities in the world; reach out internationally through its many Associates and Partners; contribute to a range of teaching programmes; and develop a global evidence base grounded on robust and pluralistic scientific principles. The Centre will reach out locally, nationally and internationally to: researchers; disaster and development agencies; Civil Society Organisations; policy makers; and private sector organisations to seek partnerships, associations and ways to meet their research needs. If you are interested in learning more and contributing to the further development of the Centre, please contact Professor Maureen Fordham [email protected]. Centre website will be online soon. Image source: http://regeneracionradio.org/index.php/autonomia/item/4831-mujeres-en-labores-de-rescate-sismo-cdmx
