Recording volunteer activities after the Great Hanshin Earthquake and their transition: their functions and possibilities from the viewpoint of social change

Abstract

Cases of volunteer activities after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in Japan were studied. Examples and genealogy of five volunteer organizations were reported, through recordings made of their activities, such as gathering and transmitting information in the disaster stricken area. The functions and implications of these volunteer activities were discussed from the viewpoint of the Theory of Social Representations. During the reconstruction process from disaster, some volunteer activities lost much of their purpose, and difficulties were encountered. The volunteer organization being studied was split into two distinct factions, and only then were they able to find their purpose and realize the meaning of these activities. The process illustrated the intermediary supporting model as seen through volunteer activities, and recordings of civil archives on disaster experiences. The potential for social change which might be brought about by such recording activities were discussed.View full abstract