Bricolage Perspective on the practice of local cafeterias launched in disaster-stricken areas

ブリコラージュ　ガイネン　カラ　ミル　ヒサイチ　ノ　チイキ　ショクドウ　ノ　ジッセン

Wang, Wenjie

オオサカ ダイガク ダイガクイン ニンゲン カガク ケンキュウカ キョウセイガク ジャーナル ヘンシュウ イインカイ

災害

地域食堂

bricolage

disasters

local cafeteria

This paper aims to promote understanding of the dynamics of creative support in resource-poor environments for latent victims of disasters. The existing literature provides important insights on the practices of experts during disasters via the notion of improvisation, but also suffers a lack of systematic discussion of practices outside expert systems. Here case studies are conducted of two local cafeterias launched by private citizens in the aftermath of disasters that took place in Japan recently. From the perspective of bricolage, the idea of “making do with what is at hand”, both the outcomes and processes related to the cafeterias are discussed. By re-imagining the value of material and non-material resources, the cafeteria organizers were able to mobilize a creative disaster response that was beyond the abilities of experts and the existing system. The analysis of the two cases shows the importance of bricolage as a tool of value creation rather than of value appropriation.