Communication, Crisis, and Identity: Striving for Stability after Hurricane Katrina

• In Event: Communities of Practice: Negotiating Identities in Church, College, a Small Town, and a Family of Fisherman

Abstract

This study looked at how crisis affects identity. A case study family dealt with the difficulties of rebuilding houses, shops, livelihoods, relationships, and identity after Hurricane Katrina. Narratives provided a means to observe interpersonal communication. Thematic and dialectical analysis shed light on the association between interpersonal communication, crisis, and identity. Themes and dialectical tensions revealed family struggles to “return to normal,” to maintain positive relationships, and to cope with threats to identity.

Author

• Laura Rogers, University of Southern Mississippi