Experts discuss cause, relief and reconstruction
TORONTO, January 18, 2005 -- York University is hosting presentations and a panel discussion open to the public entitled "In the Wake of the Tsunami" on Wednesday, January 19. The event will feature insights from environmentalists, anthropologists and political scientists from York’s faculty and guest speakers all of whom have worked in the affected areas. It will be held in Room 140, Health, Nursing and Environmental Studies Building from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
“In the Wake of Tsunami” is jointly sponsored by the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR), Environmental Studies (FES) and the University Consortium on the Global South. The discussant for this event will be FES Professor Harris Ali and the moderator will be Peter Vandergeest, director of YCAR.
The presentations are aimed at a general audience and experts will examine:
- how tsunamis are formed;
- how coastal zone developments in Asia may have increased the scale of the disaster;
- how these socio-natural processes are linked to broader regional and North-South relationship;
- how regional politics are shaping relief and reconstruction efforts;
- how different approaches to relief and reconstruction may impact coastal communities and landscapes
Presenters will include: Rudhramoorthy Cheran, professor in the Department of Sociology’s Centre for Refugee Studies; Craig Johnson from the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph; Martin Bunch, professor in York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies; and Judith Nagata, professor in York’s Department of Anthropology. Cheran, who spoke at the recent tsunami memorial service at York will give a presentation titled "Post-Tsunami Recovery in Sri Lanka: Questions, Concerns and Reflections."
In a separate but linked event, prior to the presentation, Professors Anthony Szeto and Keith Aldridge of the Department of Earth & Space Science in York’s Faculty of Science & Engineering will hold an information session (from 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. in Room 142, HNES Building) on the causes of tsunamis, why they are so destructive and how they could be detected in future.
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For more information, the media should contact:
George McNeillie, York U. Media Relations, 416-736-2100 x22091 / gmcneil@yorku.ca
