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Listserv Message Center
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Call for Papers: Special Issue |
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| Posted by: | Ann Bettencourt |
| Title/Position: | Co-Chair of SPSSI Publications Committee |
| School/Organization: | University of Missouri |
| Sent to listserv of: | SPSP, SESP, SPSSI |
| Date posted: | September 30th, 2005 |
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Call for Papers:
The Social Science of Katrina and Rita
Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (ASAP; one of SPSSI's journals) is soliciting articles to develop a “special issue” focused on how social science evidence can help us to understand what happened, to help sort out the divergent perspectives, and to discuss methodological issues around conducting research on crises.
The ASAP Editor, Geoffrey Maruyama, at (asap@umn.edu) and, Guest Editor, Janet Ruscher will co-edit the issue.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a number of social science issues have been “water cooler” topics. One group of issues has been methodological, considering approaches to as well as the importance and ethics of doing research on people whose lives have been so affected by the hurricanes. What are methodological challenges to doing research in the aftermath of such natural disasters? Would the usefulness of information that we could gather be worth sampling from people whose lives have been radically disrupted? Would an invitation to participate in research be welcomed, or seem almost insulting? Are methods of choice qualitative reports on the issues that use theory but not necessarily in any formal way, but as a vehicle for expression of views, or can we still employ a full array of methods?
A second group has been substantive, focused on the relevance of social science theories to the behaviors of individuals and organizations. One issue of controversy has been the importance of race and class in the ways that the victims of the hurricane have been viewed and treated. For example, how have race and class issues influenced the way authorities and citizens responded to and helped with Katrina and Rita, and what are the implications for future crises? What results in one image of individuals “finding food” and another of individuals “looting.” Work on volunteerism and aversive racism, to provide only two examples, are not only germane to the discussions, but also may help the public and policy makers sort out how factors like race and poverty affected reactions and help. The focus is not about blame, but understanding and improvement for the future. Clearly, perceptions and attributions have been shaped by the language used and the people involved. And the divergent perspectives and interpretations of information have been interesting to watch, if in some instances disappointing.
At this point, there are no limits on topics or disciplinary orientations, although given its history, ASAP would anticipate that most of the articles submitted would have a social/psychological orientation. What is most important is that research and theory are applied to real world events around Katrina. Methodological papers could cover a range of issues such as to complexities of design and methods, social responsibility, ethics, and respect for participants. Conceptual orientations that come to mind include (1) helping behaviors and volunteerism during crises, (2) how perceptions about victims, particularly tied to race and class, affect helping when multiple helpers are available, (3) work on status characteristics and expectations, including victim blaming processes, etc., (4) how media images shape perceptions, and (5) how factors like diffusion of responsibility might produce delays that wouldn’t occur if only a single helping agency had been responsible. Articles may describe a relevant conceptual perspective, and analyze pertinent studies, showing how their implications were borne out (or disconfirmed!) in the hurricane situation. Policy implications should be considered—specifically, how policies and legislation might be crafted to minimize the likelihood of occurrences of ineffective social actions or victim blaming. Alternatively, where efforts were effective, articles might show how social science evidence helped put in place processes that worked.
The particular theme for the issue will be shaped some by the particular submissions that we receive, and will likely be something like "What does social science evidence tell us that helps us understand what happened, and why?," or “What do events like the Hurricanes tell us about our lives, and what methodological challenges do they pose for social scientists?”
Submissions should be short papers of approximately 10-20 double-spaced manuscript pages including references. Inquiries and submissions should be sent electronically to the editor, Geoffrey Maruyama, at (asap@umn.edu). Guest Editor Janet Ruscher of Tulane University will co-edit the issue. Manuscripts should be submitted by November 1, 2005 to ensure full editorial consideration. The journal website may be found at http://www.asap-spssi.org/
Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy (ASAP) is a journal of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) whose mission is the timely dissemination of socially-relevant psychological and social science scholarship. Consistent with this mission, the editorial board chose to issue this call for papers on social psychological and social science research relevant to the social events around the hurricanes.
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