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I am interested in seeing how social ties and networks have been used to cope with (un)natural disasters. My research focus on places under disasters conditions such as Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria, in which social ties have made the difference between life and death. Furthermore, “natural” disaster has been used to approved austerity measures and unjust policies to impoverished communities like in New Orleans after Katrina. These policies were not new, as they are rooted in structures of power to preserve the status quo. Yet, people have resisted, “through a network of branches, cultures, and geographies” that has stimulated a reflective process of looking within for solutions rather than outside. As often this outside solutions are not only detached from community’s reality but can perpetuate social injustices and inequalities.

McKittrick, K., & Woods, C. A. (Eds.). (2007). Black geographies and the politics of place. South End Press.

Bullard, R. D., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2009). Race, place, and environmental justice after Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to reclaim, rebuild, and revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Westview Press.

The main findings of this article is that worldwide diasese cannot be trated with traditional methods such as giving medicines and/or placing clinics. The infrastructure needs to be changed, neighbors or family members to help implement procedures that prevent spread of diasese. For example AIDS is spread from mother to child from breast milk, to prevent this you cannot just tell mothers not to keep their children alive, instead the article supports the use of infrastrucutre-materials, to prevent the spread of infection through making sure they are helping prevent their infection through antibody treatment.

Three ways the argument is supported is through explanations of what humantarism is and its types and explaining the backround of sexual violence and how it is the perfect scapegoat. The article uses MSF's history of treatment in the Congo and toher countries and points out the high incidients of rape. The artilce also uses meetings and quotes that describe sexual violence as a staple issue to explain the argument.