What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Klinenberg's Analysis of the 1995 Heatwave? Does He Successfully Explain Why so Many People Died?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of Klinenberg’s analysis of the 1995 Heatwave? Does he successfully explain why so many people died?
The heat wave in Chicago 1995 was not only a natural disaster, but according to Klinenberg, it was a social and political disaster as well. Chicago and its residents were going through an extreme weather condition; it was a combination of heat and humidity and it developed into a massive panic throughout the entire city, as people were suffering immensely. Due to the great heat, people were searching for alternatives when the electricity and water supply had decreased by rebelling against the state, just to somewhat survive. The heat wave turned out to be Chicago 's most fatal environmental event. The Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, created a study of the occurrence to try to understand why so many people died. However, he did not involve any sociological evidence in his investigation, which provoked Eric Klinenberg into analysing the crucial social structure of Chicago, as he believed that the reason as to why so many people died, was not only because of the weather, but also due to the vulnerability of particular areas in the city. Klinenberg 's direct motive was to explain the heat wave 's unprecedented mortality rate, by examining what made Chicago so vulnerable to the heat wave, and thus provided an intriguing description of the changes that transformed metropolitan America during the 1990 's. Klinenberg emphasizes, especially, three areas in his study; the economic decline of these areas, the isolation of certain individuals and communities and the lack of aid from the social services in Chicago. This essay will explore the strengths and the weaknesses of Klinenberg 's article, by including other experts to support the points made, as well as determining on whether he successfully clarifies why so many people died during this tragic event.
To take on such a study is quite a difficult process, as it requires an
The heat wave in Chicago 1995 was not only a natural disaster, but according to Klinenberg, it was a social and political disaster as well. Chicago and its residents were going through an extreme weather condition; it was a combination of heat and humidity and it developed into a massive panic throughout the entire city, as people were suffering immensely. Due to the great heat, people were searching for alternatives when the electricity and water supply had decreased by rebelling against the state, just to somewhat survive. The heat wave turned out to be Chicago 's most fatal environmental event. The Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley, created a study of the occurrence to try to understand why so many people died. However, he did not involve any sociological evidence in his investigation, which provoked Eric Klinenberg into analysing the crucial social structure of Chicago, as he believed that the reason as to why so many people died, was not only because of the weather, but also due to the vulnerability of particular areas in the city. Klinenberg 's direct motive was to explain the heat wave 's unprecedented mortality rate, by examining what made Chicago so vulnerable to the heat wave, and thus provided an intriguing description of the changes that transformed metropolitan America during the 1990 's. Klinenberg emphasizes, especially, three areas in his study; the economic decline of these areas, the isolation of certain individuals and communities and the lack of aid from the social services in Chicago. This essay will explore the strengths and the weaknesses of Klinenberg 's article, by including other experts to support the points made, as well as determining on whether he successfully clarifies why so many people died during this tragic event.
To take on such a study is quite a difficult process, as it requires an
Bibliography: Klinenberg, E., 'De-naturalizing disaster: A social autopsy of the 1995 Chicago heat wave ', University of California, Berkeley, 1999. http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/pr96/apr96/noaa96-21.html Duneier, M., 'Etnography, the Ecological Fallacy, and the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave ', Princeton University and CUNY Graduate Center, 2006. Changnon, S. A., 'Impact and Responses to the 1995 Heat Wave: A Call to Action ', Midwestern Climate Center, Illinois State Water Survey, Champaign, Illinois, 1996.