Frustrations, Fights, and Friendships: The Physical, Emotional, and Behavioural Effects of High-Density Crowding on Mumbai’s Suburban Rail Passengers

Crammed together in tight folds of humanity, the suburban rail passengers of Mumbai, India, experience the most densely crowded trains in the world (Basu & Hunt, 2012). Whilst the immediate physical descriptors of crowdedness in Mumbai are well understood (Hirsch, 2016), there is little knowledge of the effect this has on the multitude of passengers. This is an important omission, as the effects of crowding on passengers impact their attitudes, travel behavior, and travel decisions. This paper therefore seeks to discern the physical, emotional, and behavioural effects of rail passenger crowding in Mumbai, India. To achieve this, a qualitative methodology, including 49 face-to-face interviews and 48 hours of ethnographic and autoethnographic observations in Mumbai were conducted. Mumbai is an ideal place to study these effects as it has high-density crowding, the likes of which are not experienced elsewhere. Additionally, there is a limited understanding of the effect of crowding on passengers in non-Western societies. With increasing rail ridership worldwide, the experiences of Mumbai’s passengers within high densities may align with the future experiences of passengers in other Western and non-Western countries. For academics and service providers, understanding the specifics of the crowd, such as the density, passenger perceptions, and culture is important. With that knowledge, strategies to improve the experience of crowding would be more effective

Different but also the same mental illness and bushfire planning, preparation and response /

At some point in their lives, almost half the Australian population experiences a mental illness that can affect how they think and feel, their relationships, and their social and economic status (Department of Health and Ageing 2012). They can be uniquely vulnerable to disaster risks because of these symptoms, widespread stigma, their reliance on health services, or their social and economic marginalisation. The South Australia Department of Communities and Social Inclusion Vulnerable Persons project (2013) identified that including this group in future capacity-building programs was a high priority. However, very little is known about the unique needs of people experiencing a mental illness during emergencies, nor about interventions that can increase their resilience to natural disasters. In an exploratory study of five households during the 2014 bushfires in South Australia, those who experienced a more severe illness that effected their social connections and income were more vulnerable. Carers with multiple responsibilities were also more vulnerable. However, those who had a realistic assessment of bushfire risk (similar to the wider population) and had access to bushfire safety information were better prepared physically and psychologically. The interviews suggest that bushfire safety was helped by early evacuation to calming places, audio-visual materials and face-to-face education on bushfire safety, and community connections

A reasonable, practical and moderate humanitarianism the co-option of humanitarianism in the Australian asylum seeker debates /

Critiques of humanitarianism have highlighted its conceptual ambiguity and its usefulness in justifying the exclusion, rather than inclusion, of refugees and asylum seekers. This facility for co-option can be traced to the tension between the opposing considerations of ‘costs to self’ versus ‘duty to others’ in liberal definitions of humanitarianism, and to the liberal binaries of reason versus emotion, moderation versus excess, and pragmatism versus idealism. Using discourse analysis, this paper explores how these binaries framed Australian political debates over asylum seeking, providing persuasive discursive resources for limiting humanitarian responsibilities for asylum seekers. The analysis demonstrates that the consideration of ‘costs to self’ is so flexible that these costs can be presented in such a way as to deny any humanitarian responsibility whatsoever. However, this paper also suggests that asylum seeker advocates’ arguments may be strengthened by drawing upon these same frameworks of reason, moderation and practicality

Disaster risk education, community connection and emergency communication with people who are homeless

"This current report, commissioned by the Victorian SES, is in line with the direction of the SCPEM forward plan and the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience. The report focuses on improving the disaster resilience of a particularly vulnerable group, people experiencing homelessness."--Foreword

Psychological preparedness and vulnerability

Bushfires and other natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and more severe. Australian bushfire projections suggest that by 2020 the number of days classified as ‘very extreme’ bushfire risk will double and by 2050 there may be as high as a four to five fold increase in frequency compared to data from 1990 (Lucas, Hennessy, Mills & Bathols, 2007). Research into preparedness, therefore, is increasingly important. Preparedness commonly refers to actions taken to protect oneself, one’s family and property. For bushfires, this typically involves material preparedness, such as creating a cleared area and the house and having battery-operated communication devices. This kind of physical preparation also involves developing a bushfire plan (e.g. to stay or leave early; how to look after pets in a fire) and acquiring greater knowledge and understanding about bushfires and bushfire risk. However, a growing body of research identifies psychological preparedness as an important factor in natural disaster preparedness

Disaster risk education, community connection and emergency communication with people who are homeless

"This current report, commissioned by the Victorian SES, is in line with the direction of the SCPEM forward plan and the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience. The report focuses on improving the disaster resilience of a particularly vulnerable group, people experiencing homelessness."--Foreword

Different but also the same : mental illness and bushfire planning, preparation and response

At some point in their lives, almost half the Australian population experiences a mental illness that can affect how they think and feel, their relationships, and their social and economic status (Department of Health and Ageing 2012). They can be uniquely vulnerable to disaster risks because of these symptoms, widespread stigma, their reliance on health services, or their social and economic marginalisation. The South Australia Department of Communities and Social Inclusion Vulnerable Persons project (2013) identified that including this group in future capacity-building programs was a high priority. However, very little is known about the unique needs of people experiencing a mental illness during emergencies, nor about interventions that can increase their resilience to natural disasters. In an exploratory study of five households during the 2014 bushfires in South Australia, those who experienced a more severe illness that effected their social connections and income were more vulnerable. Carers with multiple responsibilities were also more vulnerable. However, those who had a realistic assessment of bushfire risk (similar to the wider population) and had access to bushfire safety information were better prepared physically and psychologically. The interviews suggest that bushfire safety was helped by early evacuation to calming places, audio-visual materials and face-to-face education on bushfire safety, and community connections

'Shame on you' the language, practice and consequences of shame and shaming in asylum seeker advocacy /

The struggle to change negative responses to asylum seekers is becoming more difficult due to global economic insecurity and increasing numbers of people seeking asylum. Effective and persuasive advocacy and activism to shift these opinions and create better outcomes for asylum seekers are critical. As for all social movements, how advocates engage the wider public, particularly those opposed to asylum seeking, is key to gaining support for this project. In this article, I use discourse analysis as a method for identifying both current activist discourses and rhetorical strategies, and how these shape the responses of the opposition. Using letters to the editor, online comments and media articles from a 2010–2011 Australian debate on the relocation of asylum seekers to a small South Australian town, I explore a particular strategy for change used in asylum seeker advocacy: eliciting shame. I identify two ways that shaming is ‘done’ – through expressions of contempt and disgust, and through a comparison of privilege and oppression. However, the analysis of the responses to this shaming demonstrates that, rather than provoking the hoped-for change, shaming actually elicits its opposite: flight or fight responses of denial, avoidance and escalating conflict

The role of information and communication networks in the decision to seek asylum and the choice of Australia

Although there are many assumptions made about why asylum seekers choose particular destinations, there is, as yet, only a small body of research that seeks to understand this decision-making from an evidence-based perspective. In particular, there is little research within the Australian context. Existing research identifies destination outcomes as the product of multiple macro and micro factors strengthening and weakening particular migration pathways. Within the constraints of broad factors which influence the choice of destination (persecution, poverty and war in the country of origin; visa conditions and travel accessibility of host countries; agents), there are community and individual factors (social networks, access to information) that may also shape destination decisions.This research paper adds to our current understanding of Australia as an asylum destination. It analyses the factors which shape Australia as a destination based on qualitative interviews conducted between April and June 2014 with 33 former IMAs of Iranian and Afghani descent, who have since been granted protection visas and, at the time of interview, lived in South Australia

A scoping and feasability study to develop a framework for CFS bushfire safety programs and evaluation

Disaster resilience is “core business” for emergency services (NSDR 2011). Resilience can be defined as social, economic and psychological elasticity and toughness. That is, the ability of households, communities and nations to function under stress, to adapt to the situation and to be self-reliant. However, resilience isn’t only about surviving – it’s also about thriving. By building our strengths and capabilities we can grow from disaster experiences and use them as opportunities for transformation. In order to embed resilience as ‘core business’, the SA CFS are developing a resilience-focused framework for community engagement programs. This framework is the foundation on which all CFS community campaigns and engagement programs will be created, developed and sustained. The broad and encompassing scope of resilience, however, raises particular challenges for embedding it within programs. In the face of a wide range of possible contributors to resilience, it is important to define an agency’s sphere of influence, what it can contribute to resilience. To assist with this process, this project draws upon current literature on resilience in hazard management, together with two group discussions with CFS staff, to create a)an agreed definition of resilience b)an agreed set of dimensions of resilience which CFS community engagement programs can influence This paper introduces a proposed set of dimensions of resilience for CFS programs. The three dimensions are: 1.Social factors: trust, working together, opportunities to connect, communication, leadership 2.Personal factors: self-reliance and resourcefulness; self-efficacy; ability to make decisions under stress; critical thinking, problem solving and responsible decision making; flexibility 3.Information, awareness and preparation: bushfire awareness, bushfire preparedness – households, vulnerable households, businesses, farms The process raised several issues around particular elements of resilience. For example, how should the scope of the resilience factors learning and leadership be defined in CFS community engagement programs, and how to implement community engagement programs in communities where pre-existing resilience is low and may require community building activities outside of the CFS remit. The next step is to consider this draft model and the issues it raises. Once the model is refined and a final model of resilience is agreed upon, it can used to review policy and programs and undertake self-assessments to ensure coordination of efforts to enhance resilience. The dimensions can also be used in an implementation context to develop measures of resilience and chart progress toward achieving it