Explores the relationship between environment and culture in the contemporary Philippines. The book will be of interest to those engaged in relief policy and administration in developing countries.

The resultant culture of disaster' treats hazard as a constant feature of the physical environment, one where the chronic threat of extreme geophysical events has been normalised as an integral part of the culture. Within an interpretive framework, this study shows that where hazard has been normalised as an integral part of culture, behaviour becomes characterised by the development of specific coping mechanism that permit particular societies to reach permanent accommodation with the effects of these events. In the Philippines, the absolute cost of these disasters is not shared by the society as a whole but falls disproportionately on those least able to bear them. The book will be of interest to practitioners engaged in relief policy and administration in developing countries, as well as academics in both the social and natural sciences, providing a useful resource for those in Asian studies, Development studies, Environmental studies, Political Science and the growing field of Disaster studies.

Foreword Acknowledgement Introduction: Of Jellyfish and Coups 1. 'Vulnerability' as Western Discourse 2. Environment and Hazard in Southeast Asia 3. A History of Hazard in the Philippines 4. The 'Costs' of Hazard in the Contemporary Philippines 5. The Politics of Disaster Management and Relief 6. The Economics of Red Tides 7. The Social Order and the El Nino Southern Oscillation 8. Cultures of Disaster Conclusion: Hazard as a Frequent Life Experience Notes Bibliography