Religion, mental health and disaster response in a New Age of Anxiety
Item
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Title
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Religion, mental health and disaster response in a New Age of Anxiety
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:9ed4b4b9826c:10208
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identifier
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10480
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Creator
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Moses, Joshua,
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Contributor
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Shirley Lindenbaum
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Date
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2009
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Forensic anthropology | Clergy | Disaster | Medical anthropology | Mental health | Mind/body medicine | Religion
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Abstract
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This dissertation shows how the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Hurricane Katrina and subsequent disasters have created the context for novel forms of expert knowledge and professional organizations designed to address the increasing perceived risk associated with what I call the "New Age of Anxiety." In particular, the dissertation focuses on the formation of "disaster religious and spiritual care" as an emerging expertise.;"Disaster religious and spiritual care" refers to a general framework comprised of loosely associated, sometimes antagonistic, individuals and organizations. Many come from the hospital chaplain world, some from pastoral counseling or from parishes, and others from military, police and firefighting backgrounds, where much of the research on critical incidents has been conducted. It also refers to a theoretical perspective, or therapeutic modality, on how to treat people suffering from disaster-caused distress.;The attacks of September 11th galvanized created institutional, political, religious/spiritual and psychological conditions that have provided fertile ground for the expertise of "disaster religious and spiritual care" to expand and increasingly define itself as a necessary component of disaster response. The changes in government policy and new funding streams on federal, state, and local levels, as well as new partnerships among government, religious and community groups dealing with disaster preparedness and response, have provided a broader niche for disaster-related expertise. While religious organizations have long been a core component of disaster response efforts, there was no specific professional expertise focusing on disaster care.;This study largely concentrates on individuals and institutions based in New York City. It argues that lives and conditions have been altered by disasters in significant ways, leading to new forms of expert knowledge and global changes in subjectivity and self understanding, particularly in regards to ideas of trauma and conceptions of religious suffering.;The dissertation ends by showing the ways in which people experience religious, spiritual and mental health concepts--particularly trauma--as they navigate the "New Age of Anxiety." It illustrates how seemingly incommensurable ideas of religion and science are interwoven in the lives of "disaster religious and spiritual care" workers.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Anthropology
