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Articles by Wesley Cheek
Jamaica Faces the Hardest Part of a Hurricane: Recovery Original
To understand disaster recovery in the Caribbean, it’s useful to look at the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti or 2017’s Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The history of colonialism, imperialism, and exploitation echoed throughout the recovery process in these cases. For example, Haiti was required to repay France for liberating itself from slavery. It is estimated that this payment prevented $20 billion of growth in the economy.
Disaster capitalism in times of COVID-19 conversation on disasters: deconstructed on September 15, 2020
Keywords Disaster Disaster capitalism COVID-19 International Disaster risk creation Citation Cheek, W., Gonzalez-Muzzio, C., Marchezini, V., Páez, H., Vahanvati, M. and van Niekerk, D. (2023), "Disaster capitalism in times of COVID-19 conversation on disasters: deconstructed on September 15, 2020", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 418-431.
‘Building back better’ is neoliberal post‐disaster reconstruction
References (2012) ‘The other road to serfdom: recovery by the market and the affect economy in New Orleans’. Public Culture. 24(1). pp. 185–216. (2013) Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith: New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina. Duke University Press, Durham, NC. (2020) ‘Sustainable development through post-disaster reconstruction: a unique example in Sri Lanka’. In I. Chowdhooree and S.M. Ghani (eds.) External Interventions for Disaster Risk Reduction: Impacts on Local Communities. Springer, Singapore. pp.
Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ is the Best Song About Class in America
By: Wesley Cheek There is no shortage of great American songs about class. From Bruce Springsteen’s driven anthem of escape “Born to Run” to Scarface’s ode to his 5th Ward neighborhood in ‘My Block’ musicians have chronicled what it feels like to be working class in America. Bluegrass standards like The Dillards ‘Old Home Place’ detail the effects of urbanization and the collapse of the post-war economy throughout rural America.
Build Back Better for Whom? How Neoliberalism (Re)creates Disaster Risks
“Better?” I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? “Better never means better for everyone,” he says. “It always means worse, for some.” –Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale On November 23, 2020 a ripple went across social media—Joe Biden’s transition website was now registered as “buildbackbetter.gov.” For most people the news here was that the website had received a .gov web address, signifying the official move of the Biden team from contesting an election to wielding power.
Halfway to Heaven
My friend David once said that everyone can remember wondering if their bicycle got lonely when you left it outside. I think John Prine’s music exists somewhere in that memory of a feeling, sweet, sad, real, and true. Like many people I have found that Prine’s death this week, while not the most unlikely of passings, has left me of kilter somehow. When I first saw the news I threw my book across the room. I sat there for a bit and then found an old kid’s guitar that someone left in my office.
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