We should no longer speak of natural disasters, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Disasters occur when a danger of natural or social origin affects people who are not adequately prepared. However, their causes are invariably to be found in the social context. Already 92 years ago, the sociologist L. J. Carr classified all disasters as failures of society. The knowledge and resources are available to reduce damage and casualty statistics to a mere fraction of current figures, so that a good life would be possible for all. While we are still discussing long-known solutions for efficient flood protection, for example, we are proceeding unperturbed in subjecting ourselves to existential danger through our own actions.

In his lecture, Martin Voss first presented from a historical perspective how we as society assess risks and produce dangers ourselves. He  used examples to demonstrate how the state and society organize protection of the population and where the limits of this “protective architecture” lie. He advocated new institutions that set out to democratically give shape to a fair, resilient society worth living in – thereby preventively countering crises and disasters.

Dr. Martin Voss studied sociology, psychology, and education and earned his doctorate with a philosophical-sociological thesis on catastrophe theory. He has headed the Disaster Research Unit (KFS) at Freie Universität Berlin since 2011. His work extends to both basic and practice-oriented research.

Dialog in the Museum
September 24, 2024
Mercedes-Benz Museum
70372 Stuttgart

Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Martin Voss
Head of the Disaster Research Unit, Freie Universität Berlin

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