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Abstract
The intimate connections between disaster recovery by and the resilience of affected
communities have become common features of disaster risk reduction programmes since
the adoption of The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. Increasing attention is
now paid to the capacity of disaster-affected communities to 'bounce back' or to recover
with little or no external assistance following a disaster. This highlights the need
for a change in the disaster risk reduction work culture, with stronger emphasis being
put on resilience rather than just need or vulnerability. However, varied conceptualisations
of resilience pose new philosophical challenges. Yet achieving a consensus on the
concept remains a test for disaster research and scholarship. This paper reviews the
concept in terms of definitional issues, the role of vulnerability in resilience discourse
and its meaning, and the differences between vulnerability and resilience. It concludes
with some of the more immediately apparent implications of resilience thinking for
the way we view and prepare for disasters.