José Manuel Mendes

Social vulnerability indexes as planning tools: beyond the preparedness paradigm

This article draws from the experience of the ongoing drafting of the Regional Plan of the Centre Region of Portugal, and the empirical application of the Social Vulnerability Index proposed by Susan Cutter. It consists in the construction of an index of social vulnerability to natural and technological hazards and to social risks for all the municipalities of the region. Methodologically, it extends the vulnerability analysis to technological hazards and social risks, as a more encompassing view is necessary for the elaboration of prevention and civil protection policies. The results confirm the interactive nature of social vulnerability, and they also reflect the diffuse urbanisation and industrialisation patterns that characterise Portugal. The scattered nature of social facilities and security and health infrastructures pose specific challenges to planners concerning risk prevention and mitigation, and the elaboration of effective risk communication strategies adapted to specific hazards and risks in the studied municipalities. The article concludes with some reflections on the need to revise established paradigms of disaster analysis and emphasise the importance of pre‐event planning and the social cartography of vulnerable populations for effective prevention and security policies that take into account social inequalities and citizenship rights.This article draws from the experience of the ongoing drafting of the Regional Plan of the Centre Region of Portugal, and the empirical application of the Social Vulnerability Index proposed by Susan Cutter. It consists in the construction of an index of social vulnerability to natural and technological hazards and to social risks for all the municipalities of the region. Methodologically, it extends the vulnerability analysis to technological hazards and social risks, as a more encompassing view is necessary for the elaboration of prevention and civil protection policies. The results confirm the interactive nature of social vulnerability, and they also reflect the diffuse urbanisation and industrialisation patterns that characterise Portugal. The scattered nature of social facilities and security and health infrastructures pose specific challenges to planners concerning risk prevention and mitigation, and the elaboration of effective risk communication strategies adapted to specific hazards and risks in the studied municipalities. The article concludes with some reflections on the need to revise established paradigms of disaster analysis and emphasise the importance of pre-event planning and the social cartography of vulnerable populations for effective prevention and security policies that take into account social inequalities and citizenship rights.

L744,832 and Everolimus Induce Cytotoxic and Cytostatic Effects in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) constitutes a very heterogeneous group of diseases with different aggressiveness. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) are two clinically aggressive lymphomas from the germinal center, very heterogeneous and with different genetic signatures. Several intracellular pathways are involved in lymphomagenesis, being BCR/PI3K/AKT/mTOR and RAS/RAF pathways the most frequently ones. In this context the therapeutic potential of a mTOR inhibitor – everolimus – and a RAS/RAF pathway inhibitor – L744,832 – was evaluated in two NHL cell lines. Farage and Raji cells were cultured in the absence and presence of several concentrations of everolimus and L744,832 in monotherapy and in combination with each other, as well as in association with the conventional chemotherapy drug vincristine. Our results show that everolimus and L744,832 induce antiproliferative and cytotoxic effect in a time-, dose-, and cell line-dependent manner, inducing cell death mainly by apoptosis. A potentiation effect was observed when the drugs were used in combination. In conclusion, the results suggest that everolimus and L744,832, alone or in combination, could provide therapeutic benefits in these subtypes of NHL.

Equality, democratic citizenship and solidarity: is there a role for higher education in the framing of an alternative paradigm?

This paper is based on a conference given at the ALFA research project “Inter-University Framework Program for Equity and Social Cohesion Policies in Higher Education”, coordinated by Antonio Teodoro at the Universidade Lusofona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, 22 March.

A Beira town in protest: Memory, populism and democracy

At a time when representative democracy and traditional systems of representation are in crisis, the history and activities of a local Portuguese social movement are analyzed. This movement, based on an ideology of radical egalitarianism and opposition to the hegemonic powers, produced alternative political sociabilities, giving voice and right to the citizenship of the different groups in the locality. Special emphasis is also given to the role of the emotions and of violence in the definition of the personal and collective identities of the participants in the movement. An important issue is the active participation of women, which raises tensions between an emancipatory political practice and the reinforcement of a patriarchal dynamic in the household.In this essay it is my intention to see how, in practice, a struggle is produced and maintained, what arguments, resources and relationships are mobilized, and what adversaries and allies are named. In a more descriptive logic, it is my goal to understand the dynamics, the contradictions, the paroxysms and the continuities of protest, that is, to understand the practice and the mundanity of protest actions. Taking the common categories of indignation as object, I inquire about the conditions and constraints that lead to the distancing that is necessary for criticism (Boltanski and Chiapello 1999; Heinich 1999). For this I try to answer the following questions: When do indignation and criticism turn into collective action? How democratic and participatory is that process of mobilization? What allies and adversaries are produced? What material, relational, and discursive resources are used? What is the role of the leaders? Can these be bypassed? For this case study, I chose the Movement for the Restoration of the Municipality of Canas de Senhorim (MRCCS). From the outset it has been a working class movement with some support from the middle classes. Although the town’s economic and cultural elites were not hostile to the movement, due to their social and political networks outside the locality, they never directly participated in the movement’s activities. The Movement’s main aim has been to restore Canas de Senhorim as a municipality, reinstating the lost status in the nineteenth century and reaffirming its autonomy from the mother municipality of Nelas. This expresses a strong and deep radical localism that is crucial in the construction of personal and social identities in the town. Since 1998, this Movement has acquired great visibility in Portuguese national public opinion, due particularly to the spectacular nature of the actions undertaken. This greater visibility derives from a change in the Movement’s leadership, and the consequent expansion of its network of contacts. The Movement now takes as interlocutors the political

Catastrophes, the Imaginary and Citizenship: The Production of the Other and the Singularity of Experience

This article reflects on the relationship between the media and the construction of publics, taking these to be based on identities and the processes of creating identities activated in concrete, well-defined contexts. This relationship, which is complex and defined by power dynamics, allows spaces, processes of citizenship, and the visibility and invisibility of causes, projects and trajectories to be defined. The central question which serves as the starting point for these reflections is the following: what contribution does the media, with its autonomous operational logic, make towards reflections on citizenship? Who and what does it include and exclude? I intend to approach the specter of theoretical positions on the role played by the media in the production of citizenship from the basis of the polysemic notion of public sphere. Are we demanding too much of the media? Does it really set the agenda for what is relevant in a national and international context? As an opening statement, Laurent Thévenot’s comparative analysis of the construction of the European sphere (1999, 77) demonstrates how there is no consistent and sustained civic vocabulary applicable as a discursive resource to counter the current hegemony of the language of the market. Without this vocabulary, we cannot conceive of alternative forms of civic action and interaction. The first part of this article presents a discussion on the concept of imperfect citizenship and the notion of public sphere in Habermas. The second part approaches Oskar Negt’s theorization of the concept of oppositional public sphere as an alternative vision. The third part of the paper deals with the relationship between citizenship, public sphere and risk. The last section considers the media coverage and socio-political impacts of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in the United States in August 2005 as illustrations of the diffractive complexity of media production and the persistence of colonial discourses. The two events had direct consequences for public opinion in the West and made explicit the discriminatory and socially exclusive criteria contained in a biopolitics of populations based on racism, class difference and discourses that produce fear and dangerous alterities.

Special issue: Natural hazards, modelling, risk assessment and the role of scale

Since about 1980, the number of disasters worldwide has been increasing, and during 2017 a total of more than 700 events was registered (Munich Re 2018). These include droughts, extreme temperatures, forest fires, floods, landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis and storms. In the high and middle-income countries, overall economic losses increased significantly in the same period. However, the number of fatalities was larger in low-income countries affected by extreme events. In recent years, meteorological and climatological events (storms, extreme temperatures, droughts and forest fires) occurred more often and are more extreme due to climate change. This trend shows the importance of developing strategies for risk mitigation and safety measures, such as improving buildings’ resistance and implementing flood-prevention schemes. In addition to adequate urban planning that takes into consideration that even more extreme events can occur, the population awareness will contribute to less vulnerable and more resilient communities. Studies on natural hazards risk assessment and risk scenarios prediction are crucial to estimate real potential scenarios better and to undertake mitigation measures. Global modelling and simulation, along with GIS-based cartography, are essential tools for natural hazards risk assessment and for promoting capabilities and better resilient communities (OECD 2012; Pittore et al. 2017). This special issue results from the scientific meeting ‘‘International Conference on Urban Risks’’ that was organised by the European Centre for Urban Risks (CERU) and took place in Lisbon, from 30 June to 2 July 2016. Issue guest editors selected the papers to give thematic coherence to the special issue. The main objective of the special issue is to advance the studies in disaster prevention and reduction related to natural hazards, namely

Disaster Exceptionalism in India: The View from Below

Abstract The purpose of this chapter is to analyze disaster exceptionalism in India, focusing on the case of Kosi river floods in the State of Bihar and their impact on Dalit communities. Data were gathered through document analysis and a qualitative approach based on interviews with national and local leaders and activists of NGOs and Dalit organizations. The main finding is that there are no second-generation social movements related to disasters in India, mainly in what concerns Dalit discrimination. The Disaster Management Act of 2005 reinforced the centralized and top-down nature of the Indian state concerning disasters. On the other hand, national Dalit organizations like National Confederation of Dalit and Adivasi Organisations (NACDAOR) and National Dalit Watch do not possess the expertise to alter the approach to disasters from a contingent and exceptional one to a more structured and long-term perspective. The chapter shows how extreme events and permanent hazardous situations tend to increase the legitimacy of state intervention, often involving the suspension of social and economic norms, creating a state of exception, which indicates the inevitable presence of the state. The abyssal line that separates those individuals and groups that are integrated from those defined as disposable and invisible crosses through both the Global South and the little colonies of the North, reinforcing the logic of states that want to be bigger and stronger than their own citizens.

Risk Governance, Assessment, and Economic Impacts

Due to climate change, growing urbanization, and population migration the social and economic impacts of natural hazards have been increasing worldwide. The challenge for risk science, both methodologically and conceptually, is to integrate robust multi-hazard evaluation models with solid economic impact assessment to further improve existing civil protection plans, to promote risk awareness in social groups and local communities, and to develop a consolidated safety culture. This is in full alignment with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 priorities 1 [understanding disaster risk, mainly paragraph 24(d)] and 2 [strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk, mainly paragraph 31(d)]. This special issue results from the scientific meeting International Conference on Urban Risks, which took place in Lisbon, from 30 June to 2 July 2016, organized by the European Centre on Urban Risks (CERU). The meeting objectives were to reflect on the challenges put on research and practice by emerging risks, cascading disasters and cascading effects, and risk governance on local, regional, national, and global scales. The editors selected the papers in order to give thematic coherence to this special issue. The main objective is to advance studies in disaster risk reduction across increasing scales, mainly through the analysis of two dimensions: (1) risk governance and risk assessment; and (2) economic impacts and insurance evaluation. The innovative aspect of this special issue lies in the conjunction of these two dimensions, exposing the need to further risk science through the complementary analysis of assessment models, economic impacts, and risk governance. Furthermore, some of the articles advance new methodologies for risk assessment, and contribute new perspectives on risk analysis and its contribution to risk governance. The articles are also diverse in the geographical areas studied, ranging from Colombia to European countries such as Portugal, Italy, and France. Del Gobbo et al. show the limits of conventional seismic design as stipulated in Eurocode 8, mainly with respect to nonstructural repair costs. By using new methodological approaches, highlighting, among others, fragility groups, the authors propose a benchmark analysis that allows for evaluation of building retrofit alternatives and design options for new structures. The article has a direct relation to disaster impact reduction costs that are reflected in nonstructural economic losses due to seismic activity. Children are one of the most affected groups in disasters. Although we witness a participatory turn in disaster risk reduction, Delicado et al. conclude from their study of risk governance in Portugal that children are mostly seen as victims and not direct participants in prevention and mitigation activities. This exclusionary pattern is mainly due to a nonparticipant culture and absence in recent years of disasters with high losses of human life. The authors, nevertheless, contend that growing awareness of the importance of participation of children in all disaster stages lays the groundwork for further risk governance changes & Paula Teves-Costa mpcosta@fc.ul.pt

A eficácia das estratégias de coping após um evento traumático: uma revisão sistemática

A resiliencia apos a exposicao a um evento traumatico esta associada a eficacia das estrategias de coping. Todavia, nao e claro o que se pode revelar eficaz apos a exposicao ao trauma. Com a presente revisao sistematica da literatura, o nosso objetivo foi compreender, perante os resultados psicologicos, que estrategias especificas de coping surgem como eficazes para o ajustamento psicologico posterior. Foram pesquisadas bases de dados eletronicas (Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus e Google Scholar) para estudos publicados em ingles, entre 2000 e 2012, que avaliassem estrategias de coping e os resultados psicologicos em adultos vitimas de um evento traumatico nos dois anos anteriores a avaliacao. Das 60 publicacoes encontradas inicialmente, apenas cinco foram incluidas nesta revisao. Nao encontramos estudos sobre a relacao entre coping social e ajustamento psicologico. Existem controversias quanto as estrategias de evitamento serem mais prejudiciais do que a verbalizacao de sentimentos negativos, sugerindo a necessidade de se refletir acerca dos beneficios de encorajar as vitimas a expressarem pensamentos e sentimentos apos a exposicao a um evento traumatico.

A dignidade das pertenças e os limites do neo-liberalismo: cidadania, catástrofes e Estado

Neste artigo aborda-se a forma como as catastrofes revelam a logica de funcionamento e de atuacao do capitalismo, e como, no limite, os Estados sao o garante ultimo de apoio e de reconstituicao dos lacos sociais e das comunidades apos a ocorrencia de um desastre. Argumenta-se neste artigo que o Estado e o mediador e o recurso de ultima instância que legitima a integracao das sociedades no capitalismo global, e que a linha abissal que define os integrados e os descartaveis ou invisiveis percorre tanto o Sul como as pequenas colonias do Norte, tanto as logicas de regulacao/emancipacao como as de apropriacao/violencia que existem tanto no Norte como no Sul globais. O artigo esta estruturado em tres partes. Numa primeira procede-se a uma discussao sobre as novas formas que assume o capitalismo avancado e o neoliberalismo. Numa segunda parte discute-se criticamente a nocao de risco, e como as catastrofes podem ser reveladoras da logica do capitalismo e dos limites do neoliberalismo. A terceira parte centra-se no papel das vitimas e dos afetados, e da forma como estes exigem uma analise baseada na performatividade, para alem da biopolitica de Michel Foucault ou dos regimes de excecao de Giorgio Agamben.