Jardins, cyclones et catastrophes. Ethnographier le désastre au Vanuatu. By Maëlle Calandra Paris, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle; Vandœuvres-les-Nancy, Inist-CNRS (Natures en sociétés, 11). 2025. Pp. 359. Price: 37€ (printed book), 18.50€ (ebook).

Noémie Séverin

doi:10.70460/jpa.v16i1.422

Authors

Noémie Séverin University of New England https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1986-7437

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70460/jpa.v16i1.422

Keywords:

disaster anthropology, environmental anthropology, Vanuatu, disasters, Cyclone Pam

Abstract

In the South Pacific region, Vanuatu stands as the country most at risk of disasters from natural hazards, generating growing interest and making it a compelling case for study across various disciplines. In this book written in French, Maëlle Calandra offers an original examination of disasters through the dual frameworks of disaster anthropology and environmental anthropology. Focusing on Tongoa, an island in central Vanuatu, she explores the relationships between inhabitants and their environment - particularly their gardens - as well as the impact of disasters, and the ways in which people perceive, define, explain, experience, and live with these events. This book is building on her doctoral thesis (Calandra 2017) which examined the connections between Tongoa’s inhabitants, their gardens, the sea, and local perceptions of disasters. Maëlle Calandra is a brilliant anthropologist who has received several awards (2018 Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Dissertation Prize, 2018 1st ThesePac Prize, ‘South Pacific Grand Jury’ category, 2025 Red Cross Foundation Research Award) and is deeply appreciated by the communities she worked with on Tongoa.

References

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