Evaluation of the Impacts of Identity and Collective Memory on Social Resilience at Neighborhood Level using Grounded Theory

Abstract

In this paper, a new approach for evaluating the impacts of identity and collective memory (CM) on social resilience will be presented. The approach is applied in Bam city, located in Iran, which suffered heavy damage during the 2003 Bam earthquake. Following that disaster, little attention was paid to preserve identity and CM during the reconstruction phase. In order to evaluate the social resilience components, key concepts and core categories on a local level have been identified, using Grounded Theory. The results depicted that identity and collective memories in Bam city, have been diminished gradually, due to neglecting the intangible needs of local residents in the reconstruction. Therefore, this article demonstrates the necessity of attention to the revival of collective memories in the renovation and reconstruction policies. The results of this study can be used by disaster management authorities as well as city managers to improve resilience at the local level.