Abstract
To explain both origin and outcome of disasters (‘natural’, ‘technical’, and ‘war-borne’), as well as social action during disasters proper, a macrosociological model of internal causation is introduced (‘PERDUE’). It consists of six stages of possible, and of most likely paths of social change between these six (‘Peace is founded’, ‘Everyday routine’, ‘Rising class struggle’, ‘Disasters strike’, ‘Unconditional surrender of collective defence’, and ‘Evaporation of common values’). The stages are developed by making use of three dimensions of social change (‘rapidity’, ‘radicality’, and ‘rituality’), and described.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bühl, W. L.: 1982, Struktur und Dynamik des menschlichen Sozialverhaltens, Mohr, Tübingen.
Clausen, L.: 1983: Ubergang zum Untergang, in L. Clausen and W. Dombrowsky (eds), Einführung in die Soziologie der Katastrophen, Osang, Bonn, pp. 41–79.
Clausen, L.: 1987, Zur Asymmetrie von Prognose und Epignose in den Sozialwissenschaften, Österr. Zs. f. Soziologie 12(4), 21–30.
Clausen, L.: 1988, Produktive Arbeit, destruktive Arbeit, de Gruyter, Berlin, New York.
Clausen, L. and Dombrowsky, W. R.: 1987 Katastrophen, in D. Mohlen and P. Waldmann (ed), Pipers Wörterbuch zur Politik: Dritte Welt, Piper, Munich, pp. 264–269.
Dahrendorf, R.: 1972, Sozialer Konflikt; Revolution, in B. Bernsdorf (ed.), Wörterbuch der Soziologie, Frankfurt am Main, pp. 748–751; 672–673.
Dimmendaal, G. J.: 1989, On language death in eastern Africa, in N. C. Dorian (ed.), Investigating Obsolescence, Cambridge UP, Cambridge, pp. 13–21.
Dynes, R. R. et. al. (eds.): 1987, Sociology of Disasters, Franco Angeli, Milan.
Fuchs, W. et al. (eds.): 1978, Lexikon zur Soziologie, 2nd edn., Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen.
Hirshleifer, J.: 1987, Economic Behavior in Adversity, Wheatsheaf Books, Brighton.
Jäger, W.: 1977, Katastrophe und Gesellschaft, Luchterhand, Darmstadt, Neuwied.
Nagy, J. and Heger, Ch.: 1982, ‘Katastrophe’ und Katastrophe, in F. Heckmann and P. Winter (eds), 21 Deutscher Soziologentag, Beiträge der Sektions- und ad-hoc-Gruppen, Westdeutscher Verlag, Opladen, pp. 972–978.
Pareto, V.: 1919, Traité de sociologie générale, II, Librairie Payot, Lausanne, Paris.
Ruffié, J. and Sounia, J.-Ch.: 1987, Die Seuchen in der Geschichte der Menschheit, Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart.
Schorr, J. K.: 1987, Some contributions German Katastrophensoziologie can make to the Sociology of Disaster, Internat. J. Mass Emergencies and Disasters 5(2), 115–135.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Clausen, L. Social differentiation and the long-term origin of disasters. Nat Hazards 6, 181–190 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124622
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00124622