3 - Slow disaster in Banda Aceh after the tsunami

This presentation aims to discuss the components of slow disasters, focusing on the case of post-tsunami Banda Aceh. Borrowing from Nick Robson's concept of "slow violence", slow disaster refers to disaster that does not occur as a single, spectacular event, but develops slowly and is catastrophic by the time it is finally perceived. Slow disaster is a way of thinking about disasters not as discrete events, but as long-term processes that are interconnected over time" (Knowles, 2020). (Knowles, 2020) Disasters are often portrayed as a single event, when in fact there is a significant accumulation of stress that manifests as an event, or a significant post-event process and aftermath. Therefore, when trauma is studied alongside disaster research, it can be seen as the lasting effects of a single catastrophic event on individuals and societies. Thus, in order to elucidate the process of slow disaster, I will analyze how the trajectories of trauma, harm, recovery, and resilience are intertwined, with a particular focus on individual life courses and community assemblages.