Katrina: ideology and representation of a natural disaster

Abstract

This article examines representations and ideology as integral parts of the creation of
a natural disaster through an analysis of hurricane Katrina. Disasters are illustrative
of the normal socio-cultural order as much as a disruption. The article analyzes
the connections between neoliberal policies and ideologies and the production of
vulnerability before the hurricane and representations and responses after it. Cultural
values are encoded in neoliberal ideology and shaped people’s experiences and
reactions to the hurricane.