Gilbert White’s (1974) field-based study on
hazard perception provides an early example of
interdisciplinary work suggesting that vulnerability
goes beyond the conventional factors
repeatedly theorized, such as gender, age or illiteracy.
Vulnerability also includes less tangible
elements such as emotional reactions or place
attachment, and that these are all characterized
by local culture. However, as Crang (1998, p. 1)
notes, defining culture is ‘almost unfeasibly difficult’
because it encompasses all aspects of society
and the individual. Within Anthropology, Cultural
Theory suggests that a person’s culture
reflects an interpretation of their own environment
and that it can be used as a model to
explain their actions and behaviours (Mitchell,
1995, Smith, 2001). In other words, culture influences
and is influenced by the actions of people,
while also being shaped by nature, especially
extreme events. Therefore, by examining culture
through the guiding principles of Cultural
Theory, an interpretation of peoples’ actions
during a crisis may be examined.