Navigating Uncertainty: A qualitative study of resident involvement in the 2013 Forcett Tasmania bushfire disaster A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Fiona Maree Jennings Bachelor of Social Work, Deakin University Master of Social Work Practice, University of Tasmania School of Science College of Science, Engineering and Health RMIT University March 2018 The Elephant Let us imagine a group of people who are blindfolded and then asked to describe an elephant. One person notes that it is tall, thick and round like a tree trunk (she has hold of its leg); another that this animal is long, thin and moves in a manner like a snake (he has hold of its trunk); a third person notes that this animal is flat, leathery and very flexible so that it can flap (she is holding its ear). All perceive the elephant in very different ways; all are describing the same animal. However, while each of these insights tells us something about the elephant, only by standing back and considering the animal as a whole do the separate parts make sense to that we may appreciate the contribution they make so the holistic nature of this animal (Hugman, 2009, pp. 1151-1152). ii Table of Contents Declaration.....................................................................................................................vi Abstract ........................................................................................................................ vii List of figures ............................................................................................................... viii List of tables ...................................................................................................................ix List of appendices ..........................................................................................................ix List of photographs ........................................................................................................ix List of acronyms and abbreviations ................................................................................ x Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 The 2013 Forcett Tasmania Bushfire Disaster ............................................................. 1 1.2 A personal account of the bushfire disaster ................................................................. 6 1.3 Research Interest ........................................................................................................ 9 1.4 Research Aim ............................................................................................................ 10 1.5 Research Method ...................................................................................................... 10 1.6 The Study .................................................................................................................. 12 1.7 Thesis Structure ........................................................................................................ 13 1.8 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER TWO: PRELIMINARY LITERATURE REVIEW................................................. 17 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 17 2.2 The Literature Review in Grounded Theory ............................................................... 17 2.3 Hazards and Disasters .............................................................................................. 19 2.4 Vulnerability and Resilience ....................................................................................... 20 2.5 Community and Citizen Involvement .......................................................................... 24 2.6 Disaster Management................................................................................................ 30 2.7 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................... 38 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 38 3.2 Ontology and Epistemology ....................................................................................... 38 3.3 Theoretical Perspectives ........................................................................................... 40 3.3.1 Positivism and Interpretivism ............................................................................... 40 3.3.2 Symbolic Interactionism ...................................................................................... 43 3.4 Grounded Theory ...................................................................................................... 45 3.4.1 History of Grounded Theory ................................................................................ 45 3.4.2 Constructivist Grounded Theory .......................................................................... 48 3.4.3 What constitutes a Grounded Theory? ................................................................ 50 3.5 Positioning self .......................................................................................................... 51 3.5.1 Reflexivity............................................................................................................ 53 3.5.2 Assumptions ....................................................................................................... 54 3.6 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 55 iii CHAPTER FOUR: PLACE, PEOPLE AND PARTICIPANTS ............................................. 56 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 56 4.2 Sketching the Landscape .......................................................................................... 56 4.3 Appreciating the Communities ................................................................................... 60 4.4 Participant Profile ...................................................................................................... 65 4.5 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER FIVE: METHOD ................................................................................................ 70 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 70 5.2 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................... 70 5.2.1 Confidentiality ..................................................................................................... 71 5.2.2 Relationship ........................................................................................................ 71 5.2.3 Wellbeing ............................................................................................................ 72 5.3 Gathering Grounded Theory Data.............................................................................. 72 5.3.1 Sensitising Concepts ........................................................................................... 73 5.4 Data Generation and Management ............................................................................ 73 5.4.1 Participant Involvement ....................................................................................... 74 5.4.2 Participant Interviews .......................................................................................... 75 5.5 Data analysis ............................................................................................................. 78 5.5.1 Theoretical Sampling .......................................................................................... 78 5.5.2 Memo Writing ...................................................................................................... 78 5.5.3 Theoretical Sensitivity ......................................................................................... 80 5.5.4 Reflexivity............................................................................................................ 81 5.5.5 Constant Comparison ......................................................................................... 82 5.5.6 Coding ................................................................................................................ 82 5.5.7 Constructing Categories ...................................................................................... 87 5.5.8 Theoretical Saturation ......................................................................................... 91 5.6 Theory Construction .................................................................................................. 91 5.7 Chapter Conclusion ................................................................................................... 93 CHAPTER SIX: THE GROUNDED THEORY ....................................................................