Reflexivity, habitus and vulnerability: Vietnamese farmers' attribution of responsibility in a post-disaster context

Abstract

PurposeThis article examines how farmers' assignment of responsibility for the disaster in late 2015 – early 2016 connects with reflexivity, habitus and local vulnerability.Design/methodology/approachThis article uses semi-structured interviews with 28 disaster-affected households in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta to answer the question.FindingsThis article finds out that Vietnamese farmers actively accepted their responsibility for the disaster. In their explanation, they link their action with the root causes of vulnerability embedded in their socio-cultural traditions and collective identity.Research limitations/implicationsThis article makes a case for the importance of local culture and epistemologies in understanding disaster vulnerability and responsibility attribution.Originality/valueThis article is original in researching Vietnamese farmers' responsibility attribution, their aesthetic reflexivity, collective habitus and the socio-cultural root causes of disaster.