The study of ‘emergency management’ largely exists on the periphery of policing and disaster studies. As anthropogenic harms worsen in frequency and severity, there are calls to subvert traditional systems of security governance to adapt to these harms.

The study of emergency management seems like an obvious place to begin, however very little exploration of emergency management – including the involved actors, their governing mentalities and technologies, and how these are shaped – has occurred in disaster research.

This project highlights that the interplay and competition between these various governing mentalities that make up ‘emergency management’ can contribute to distributive inequities at the community level during crises. 

This seminar is Maegan's Confirmation of Candidature presentation. As such, the presentation is a closed event for RegNet staff, visitors and students only.

About the speaker

Maegan Micelli is a doctoral research student at RegNet, ANU. Her context-based research focuses on how emergency management networks govern climate related hazards and the vulnerabilities and resistances that result.

Her work has largely taken root in policing studies; her Honours thesis ‘“They Did Their Best”: Resilience Policing in the Black Summer Bushfires, 2019-20' explored how police might respond to climate disasters and the implications of this on the future trajectory of the police role in the Anthropocene.

Maegan’s shift in focus from policing to wider emergency management networks arose from an observation and interest in understanding the vulnerabilities that are exacerbated by inequitable crisis governance. 

COVID protocols

The ANU strongly encourages you to keep a mask with you at all times (for use when COVID-19 safe behaviours are not practicable) and to be respectful of colleagues, students and visitors who may wish to continue to wear one. Please continue to practice good hygiene. If you are unwell, please stay home. The ACT government’s COVID Smart behaviours can be accessed here.

This seminar presentation is in-person only. Registration is not required for in-person attendance as neither the ANU nor ACT Health conduct contact tracing any longer.

If you require accessibility accommodations or a visitor Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan please email regnet.communications@anu.edu.au.

Image credit: Image of emergency service vehicles at Rockhampton Hospital, Queensland, by RegionalQueenslander from Wikimedia Commons, free to use under CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.