Resilience in Marginalized Communities During Crises

A Literature Review of Communication Scholarship

Bibliographic Data

ID17823250
AuthorsHui Zhao (0009-0002-8489-5747, Aarhus University, corresponding author), Jesper Falkheimer (0000-0001-8231-5951, Lund University)
Year2026
Volume14
Publication date2026-02-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia and Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2183-2439 • E-ISSN: 2183-2439
PublisherCogitatio (PUBLISHER • PT)
DOI10.17645/mac.11437
OpenAlexW7121374430
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited75

This article reviews how communication scholarship conceptualizes and examines resilience among marginalized populations in crisis contexts. Based on 45 peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2025, it maps the research landscape across journals, crisis types, and groups, and analyzes how resilience is theorized and enacted through communication. The findings show that while resilience is widely invoked, it is often framed narrowly as coping or adaptation. At the same time, the review identifies recurring communicative practices, including the reestablishment of normalcy, affirmation of identity, mobilization of networks, development of counter-narratives, and legitimization of emotion, that reveal resilience as a relational and discursive process shaped by inequality. Yet structural power dynamics, intersectional vulnerabilities, and community-led practices remain under-studied. The study contributes to the field by consolidating fragmented research, extending the communication theory of resilience (CTR) through critical perspectives, and outlining directions for future inquiry. By centering marginalized voices, it advances a more inclusive and equity-oriented agenda for crisis communication

Psychological resilience · Scholarship · Disaster Management and Resilience · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Relations and Crisis Communication

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