Remembering and forgetting 1974

The 2011 Brisbane floods and memories of an earlier disaster

Bibliographic Data

ID5696248
AuthorsScott Mckinnon (0000-0002-8903-7824, University of Wollongong, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume57
Issue2
Pages204-214
Publication date2019-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographical Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1745-5863 • E-ISSN: 1745-5871
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1745-5871.12335
OpenAlexW2945290188
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited30

The city of Brisbane, capital of the Australian state of Queensland, sits on a floodplain and has been struck by two devastating flood disasters in the last 50 years. This article contributes to the growing literature on disaster memory by tracing memories of a flood in 1974 as they were constructed and re-enacted in a more recent disaster in 2011. The article examines how disaster memories shape local identities and considers how such memories influence policy and local knowledge, doing so by reference to an analysis of three forms of memory media-personal narratives, news media reporting, and built memorials. At times, memories of 1974 enabled Brisbane residents to prepare for an oncoming flood and to understand the scope of the 2011 event. Yet other memories produced a form of forgetting by positioning the earlier flood as a successfully navigated event now safely contained in the past. Findings from the analysis thus point to the importance of understanding memories of past disasters as a critical element of disaster planning and management

Archaeology · Art · Emergency management · Flood myth · Forgetting · Geography · Media studies · Narrative · Political science · Sociology · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Flood Risk Assessment and Management · History · Law · Psychology · Public Relations and Crisis Communication