Terremoto, vulnerabilità e resilienza: il punto di vista delle donne nel volontariato religioso in Giappone

Although Japan is known for its highly specialised and capable emergency management systems, when the Kumamoto was hit by two strong earthquakes in April 2016, official emergency and disaster management response was inadequate. Drawing upon 22 semi-structured interviews with women affiliated with Sōka Gakkai and GLA (God Light Association), this study explores the relationship between gender and religiosity in order to verify the level of preparation and responsiveness of women belonging to religious organizations. Results show that the persistent gender-blind institutional post-seismic intervention measures intensifies women’s vulnerability, while religious organizations capitalize their situated knowledge for resilience building. Such findings highlight the need to develop more inclusive models of disaster management to harness the resilience that exists within communities.