University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2017 A Comparative Study of Culture and Cultural Heritage in Humanitarian Aid Efforts: Post-Earthquake Haiti and Post- Tsunami Aceh Natalie K. Ruhe University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Ruhe, Natalie K., "A Comparative Study of Culture and Cultural Heritage in Humanitarian Aid Efforts: Post- Earthquake Haiti and Post-Tsunami Aceh" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1295. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1295 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact
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[email protected]. A Comparative Study of Culture and Cultural Heritage in Humanitarian Aid Efforts: Post-Earthquake Haiti and Post-Tsunami Aceh __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts __________ by Natalie K. Ruhe June 2017 Advisor: Esteban Gomez ! Author: Natalie K. Ruhe Title: A Comparative Study of Culture and Cultural Heritage in Humanitarian Aid Efforts: Post-Earthquake Haiti and Post-Tsunami Aceh Advisor: Esteban Gomez Degree Date: June 2017 ABSTRACT This thesis explores how cultural knowledge, beliefs, and practices affected the humanitarian aid response to disasters in Haiti and Aceh Province, Indonesia. It examines the importance of local knowledge in post-disaster response situations and how aid workers’ “expertise” interplays with local knowledge, decision-making structures, and leadership.