Book Reviews by Tim Heffernan
Student Anthropologist: The Journal of The National Association of Student Anthropologists, 2019
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Social Anthropology, 2019
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Papers by Tim Heffernan
Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 2024
The established practice for increasing young people's inclusion in disaster risk reduction holds... more The established practice for increasing young people's inclusion in disaster risk reduction holds that adults play a vital role in realising young people's full participation. This involves providing young people with a seat at the table or facilitating their inclusion to ensure their voices are heard. However, when adults are both decision-makers and facilitators of inclusion, the drivers of exclusion often go unaddressed. This paper describes a co-design method used by The Resilient Towns Initiative to improve youth participation in disaster risk reduction. It was devised through working with young people in the New South Wales Snowy Valleys, an area affected by Australia's summer bushfires in 2019-20. The approach relied on supporting the conditions for young people to increase their participation via cultivating a youth voice, generating ideas, creating a vision, bringing in adults, and building legacy to sustain momentum. Outcomes indicate that this approach nurtured cross-generational relations, raised the profile and esteem of young people and built skills, knowledge and resources. This addressed some structural barriers to inclusion and, more broadly, social inclusion in a regional area.
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Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
Aims: We assessed the mental health effects of Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfires 12–18 months later... more Aims: We assessed the mental health effects of Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfires 12–18 months later, predicting psychological distress and positive psychological outcomes from bushfire exposure and a range of demographic variables, and seeking insights to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience planning for different profiles of people. Methods: We surveyed 3083 bushfire-affected and non-affected Australian residents about their experiences of bushfire, COVID-19, psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder) and positive psychological outcomes (resilient coping, wellbeing). Results: We found high rates of distress across all participants, exacerbated by severity of bushfire exposure. For people who were bushfire-affected, being older, having less financial stress, and having no or fewer pre-existing mental disorders predicted both lower distress and higher positive outcomes. Being male or having less income loss also predicted positive outco...
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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2023
Purpose: As environmental disasters become more common and severe due to climate change, there is... more Purpose: As environmental disasters become more common and severe due to climate change, there is a growing need for strategies to bolster recovery that are proactive, cost-effective, and which mobilise community resources.
Aims We propose that building social group connections is a particularly promising strategy for supporting mental health in communities affected by environmental disasters.
Methods We tested the social identity model of identity change in a disaster context among 627 people substantially affected by the 2019-2020 Australian fires.
Results We found high levels of post-traumatic stress, strongly related to severity of disaster exposure, but also evidence of psychological resilience. Distress and resilience were weakly positively correlated. Having stronger social group connections pre-disaster was associated with less distress and more resilience 12-18 months after the disaster, via three pathways: greater social identification with the disaster-affected community, greater continuity of social group ties, and greater formation of new social group ties. New group ties were a mixed blessing, positively predicting both resilience and distress.
Conclusions We conclude that investment in social resources is key to supporting mental health outcomes, not just reactively in the aftermath of disasters, but also proactively in communities most at risk.
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Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 2023
Aims: We assessed the mental health effects of Australia's 2019-2020 bushfires 12-18 months later... more Aims: We assessed the mental health effects of Australia's 2019-2020 bushfires 12-18 months later, predicting psychological distress and positive psychological outcomes from bushfire exposure and a range of demographic variables, and seeking insights to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience planning for different profiles of people. Methods: We surveyed 3083 bushfire-affected and non-affected Australian residents about their experiences of bushfire, COVID-19, psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder) and positive psychological outcomes (resilient coping, wellbeing). Results: We found high rates of distress across all participants, exacerbated by severity of bushfire exposure. For people who were bushfire-affected, being older, having less financial stress, and having no or fewer pre-existing mental disorders predicted both lower distress and higher positive outcomes. Being male or having less income loss also predicted positive outcomes. Severity of exposure, higher education and higher COVID-19-related stressors predicted both higher distress and higher positive outcomes. Pre-existing physical health diagnosis and previous bushfire experience did not significantly predict distress or positive outcomes. Recommendations: To promote disaster resilience, we recommend investment in mental health, particularly for younger adults and for those in rural and remote areas. We also recommend investment in mechanisms to protect against financial distress and the development of a broader definition of bushfire-related impacts than is currently used to capture brushfires' far-reaching effects.
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This report provides an overview of the mental health and wellbeing following Australia’s 2019-20... more This report provides an overview of the mental health and wellbeing following Australia’s 2019-20 bushfires, with data recorded 12-18 months after the bushfire season ended. Findings are based on 3,083 adults' responses in an online survey to standard measures of psychological distress (i.e., symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and posttraumatic stress disorder), loneliness, social connectedness, financial security and psychological resilience (i.e., resilient coping, posttraumatic growth and psychological wellbeing). A novel framework for classifying respondents' severity of bushfire exposure is used based on respondents' range of experiences, rather than their postal code alone. High rates of depression, anxiety and stress were recorded across the whole sample, with severity of bushfire exposure associated with greater severity of distress. For men and women with high bushfire exposure, one in five reported symptoms associated with the clinical cut-off for PTSD. Parents with dependents impacted by bushfire reported more behavioural and emotional challenges in their children than children in communities not impacted by bushfire. Psychological distress among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was especially high among women affected by bushfire, compared to Indigenous men and non-Indigenous people. Markers of psychological resilience across the whole sample included endorsement of resilient coping, personal growth and psychological wellbeing. Notably, bushfire-affected, Indigenous, and parent respondents all reported higher levels of wellbeing and growth. Six key recommendations are put forward to meet the ongoing mental health and wellbeing needs of people affected by bushfire.
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The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences, 2022
Economic anthropology is the study of how individuals and communities understand and engage with ... more Economic anthropology is the study of how individuals and communities understand and engage with economic life, broadly conceived. This chapter provides an overview of central debates and approaches used in the subdiscipline over the past century. These debates – ranging from the form and substance of the economy, the impact of the cultural turn, and the rise of neoliberal economic policy – are explored amid changing relationships with credit and debt following the global financial crisis (GFC). Positioned between anthropology and economics, the field of economic anthropology has long sought to understand notions of exchange, ownership, consumption, value, reciprocity, production, and labor and considers how these relate to the function and maintenance of distinct cultural worlds. Analyzing central debates in historical perspective, this chapter asks how practitioners continue to engage with key ideas after the GFC. What is more, it decenters key theoretical approaches by examining the experience of the GFC from outside the global centers of finance. Through a case study of the Icelandic banking collapse as part of the GFC, questions of how credit and debt are understood in light of crisis are pursued, particularly after the collective prosperity of Iceland’s “economic miracle” in the early 2000s. It concludes with a discussion of the harms of neoliberalism and economic “virtualism” and charts emerging inquiries in economic anthropology that boast flexibility for examining economy in a changing world.
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Conflict and Society, 2020
Following mass demonstrations in response to the country's 2008 economic collapse, a dynamic civi... more Following mass demonstrations in response to the country's 2008 economic collapse, a dynamic civil society has emerged in Iceland focused on democratic reform through rewriting the constitution. Th is article demonstrates how, in the absence of the new constitution that was promised by the government, protesters are pursuing an unfinished project of reform by holding small, routinized protests founded on an ethic of empathic solidarity (samkennd). By exploring the aesthetic elements of these meetings, I argue that the protest site is being used to highlight and condemn ongoing government transgression while also providing a space to prefigure a future free of political corruption. To this end, explicit signage is shown to be reshaping political discourse while also extending (and denying) kin bonds between protesters.
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History and Anthropology, 2020
The 2008 collapse of the Icelandic banking sector has become a
defining moment in the nation’s co... more The 2008 collapse of the Icelandic banking sector has become a
defining moment in the nation’s contemporary history. The event
revealed the role of neoliberal economic reconfigurations in the
construction of social and temporal experience, particularly by
highlighting the public’s investment in, and aspiration for, a bright
economic future during the early-2000s. Drawing on our
independent ethnographic work, we collectively trace the
enormous growth and decline of the Icelandic economy over the
last two decades and examine the ways the collapse has
produced new feelings, associations and expectations that
continue to frame the past, present and future. In doing so, we
explore and problematize the interdependencies between
temporality and everyday social practices amid crisis. We argue
that, despite the economy strengthening over the last decade, a
sense of economic uncertainty has remained, with many
Icelanders anticipating another collapse. We conclude by
discussing the unfinished nature of crisis and role of public
forecasting as a means for contending with ongoing economic
insecurity.
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This report is based on discussions from the Aboriginal Fishing Rights Gathering (the gathering) ... more This report is based on discussions from the Aboriginal Fishing Rights Gathering (the gathering) held in Bingie on the New South Wales (NSW) south coast from 5 to 6 September 2015. It provides a summary of the presentations given by community
members, academics and legal experts with regard to cultural fishing and the values associated with cultural fishing activities. The report also details the aspirations and future directions of local Aboriginal community members who hold common values and interests as cultural fishers in the region.
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This report is based on the workshop, Implementing native title: Indigenous leadership in land an... more This report is based on the workshop, Implementing native title: Indigenous leadership in land and water livelihoods, held at the 2015 National Native Title Conference, 16-18 June, Port Douglas, Queensland.
It details the ways several Indigenous communities from around Australia are implementing their rights and interests following the restitution of their land and sea territories. Initiatives discussed throughout the workshop included the development of Indigenous commercial enterprises, the establishment of Indigenous protected areas (IPAs), traditional use of marine resource agreements (TUMRAs), and Indigenous land use agreements (ILUAs), as well as the integration of traditional and contemporary knowledge, tools and frameworks to achieve group aspirations for the ways country is managed.
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Religions, 2020
This article explores the politics of belonging in Iceland in the context of an ethico-political ... more This article explores the politics of belonging in Iceland in the context of an ethico-political project focused around increased transparency following the country’s 2008 banking collapse. By employing literature on autochthony (i.e., a return to, and interpretation of, “the local”), it examines the tensions that are reignited within and between nation-states during economic crisis. Through ethnography with ordinary Icelanders and the members of two protest movements, this research shows how Icelanders are cultivating a public voice to navigate the political constraints of crisis and reshaping Icelanders’ international identity from below in the wake of the collapse. To this end, the article accounts for the role of populist politics in re-embedding Iceland into the European social imaginary as an economically responsible and egalitarian nation. It then turns to highlight the push for meaningful democratic reform through collaborative, legislative exchange between the government and the people that resulted in a new—if not actually implemented—constitution. By exploring protest culture in Iceland, the article highlights the importance of public witnessing and empathic solidarity in building intercultural relations in an era of globalized finance and politics.
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Conference Presentations by Tim Heffernan
Ethnography has been the staple method of social anthropology since the discipline’s inception. I... more Ethnography has been the staple method of social anthropology since the discipline’s inception. In recent years, however, practitioners have called for innovative techniques to be introduced into the ethnographer’s repertoire to maintain the tension between ethnographic praxis and theory. In this paper, timelining, a type of graphic elicitation, is paired with ethnography to provide an in-depth exploration of the lived experience of economic crisis in Iceland. Following the collapse of the country’s commercial banking sector in October 2008, many Icelanders underwent great economic hardship. This motivated almost a quarter of the population to demonstrate against perceived government inactivity at preventing the economic crash. While these demonstrations were successful, ultimately bringing down the government, corruption within the ranks of the political and decision-making elite has continued over the last decade. By combining graphic elicitation with ethnography, this paper argues that methodological innovation is not only apt for exploring larger social themes of crisis across the nation but that it also enables a comprehensive account of one’s individual experience of living through the aftermath of crisis. To this end, the paper illustrates the ways that timelining accommodates deeper reflections on the ways that age, gender, sexuality, employment status and property ownership bare upon one’s experience of ongoing social, political and economic instability.
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Thesis Chapters by Tim Heffernan
Much of the literature concerning ethnicity has sought to understand the impact of natural and cu... more Much of the literature concerning ethnicity has sought to understand the impact of natural and cultural catastrophes on ethnic identities. However, in the wake of the global financial crisis (2008-2011), surprisingly little research has examined the impact of global economic catastrophes on ethnic identities. This research contributes to this area of study by presenting a case study analysing the impact of the 2008 Icelandic banking collapse on Icelanders. I argue that global economic catastrophes affect ethnic group formation and practice through local economic devastation, as they lead to inequitable settings and the need for groups to mobilise their identity in the face of adversity. Iceland provides an excellent context in which to examine this as Icelanders experienced a complete banking collapse in 2008, resulting in social and cultural uncertainty. This thesis utilises the broad view of ethnicity, rather than nationalism, as it is concerned with subjective group loyalties that are actively constructed by ethnic groups in an attempt to guarantee their persistence. I argue that ethnicity enables a nuanced investigation into group identity, social memory and collective experience as it is capable of inquiring into the ways that identities emerge and strengthen in times of adversity.
Icelandic ethnicity is inextricably linked to what it means to be an Icelander, and this has often lead to the assertion that Iceland is a classless society. However, as the collapse has been attributed to the workings of Icelandic bankers, many Icelanders now believe that this sense of equality has been fractured and dismantled. In this thesis, responses to the collapse are analysed through literature on cultural trauma and wounding, and the argument is made that economic collapse has triggered the genegotiation of Icelandic ethnic identity. By employing ethnicity as the guiding framework for this research, this thesis argues that ethnic identities emerge and respond to the environments in which they exist. Current efforts by Icelanders to mobilise their ethnic identity are investigated to elucidate how ethnic groups negotiate instances of trauma and wounding in order to locate pathways towards the healing and recalibration of their ethnic identity.
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Book Reviews by Tim Heffernan
Papers by Tim Heffernan
Aims We propose that building social group connections is a particularly promising strategy for supporting mental health in communities affected by environmental disasters.
Methods We tested the social identity model of identity change in a disaster context among 627 people substantially affected by the 2019-2020 Australian fires.
Results We found high levels of post-traumatic stress, strongly related to severity of disaster exposure, but also evidence of psychological resilience. Distress and resilience were weakly positively correlated. Having stronger social group connections pre-disaster was associated with less distress and more resilience 12-18 months after the disaster, via three pathways: greater social identification with the disaster-affected community, greater continuity of social group ties, and greater formation of new social group ties. New group ties were a mixed blessing, positively predicting both resilience and distress.
Conclusions We conclude that investment in social resources is key to supporting mental health outcomes, not just reactively in the aftermath of disasters, but also proactively in communities most at risk.
defining moment in the nation’s contemporary history. The event
revealed the role of neoliberal economic reconfigurations in the
construction of social and temporal experience, particularly by
highlighting the public’s investment in, and aspiration for, a bright
economic future during the early-2000s. Drawing on our
independent ethnographic work, we collectively trace the
enormous growth and decline of the Icelandic economy over the
last two decades and examine the ways the collapse has
produced new feelings, associations and expectations that
continue to frame the past, present and future. In doing so, we
explore and problematize the interdependencies between
temporality and everyday social practices amid crisis. We argue
that, despite the economy strengthening over the last decade, a
sense of economic uncertainty has remained, with many
Icelanders anticipating another collapse. We conclude by
discussing the unfinished nature of crisis and role of public
forecasting as a means for contending with ongoing economic
insecurity.
members, academics and legal experts with regard to cultural fishing and the values associated with cultural fishing activities. The report also details the aspirations and future directions of local Aboriginal community members who hold common values and interests as cultural fishers in the region.
It details the ways several Indigenous communities from around Australia are implementing their rights and interests following the restitution of their land and sea territories. Initiatives discussed throughout the workshop included the development of Indigenous commercial enterprises, the establishment of Indigenous protected areas (IPAs), traditional use of marine resource agreements (TUMRAs), and Indigenous land use agreements (ILUAs), as well as the integration of traditional and contemporary knowledge, tools and frameworks to achieve group aspirations for the ways country is managed.
Conference Presentations by Tim Heffernan
Thesis Chapters by Tim Heffernan
Icelandic ethnicity is inextricably linked to what it means to be an Icelander, and this has often lead to the assertion that Iceland is a classless society. However, as the collapse has been attributed to the workings of Icelandic bankers, many Icelanders now believe that this sense of equality has been fractured and dismantled. In this thesis, responses to the collapse are analysed through literature on cultural trauma and wounding, and the argument is made that economic collapse has triggered the genegotiation of Icelandic ethnic identity. By employing ethnicity as the guiding framework for this research, this thesis argues that ethnic identities emerge and respond to the environments in which they exist. Current efforts by Icelanders to mobilise their ethnic identity are investigated to elucidate how ethnic groups negotiate instances of trauma and wounding in order to locate pathways towards the healing and recalibration of their ethnic identity.
Aims We propose that building social group connections is a particularly promising strategy for supporting mental health in communities affected by environmental disasters.
Methods We tested the social identity model of identity change in a disaster context among 627 people substantially affected by the 2019-2020 Australian fires.
Results We found high levels of post-traumatic stress, strongly related to severity of disaster exposure, but also evidence of psychological resilience. Distress and resilience were weakly positively correlated. Having stronger social group connections pre-disaster was associated with less distress and more resilience 12-18 months after the disaster, via three pathways: greater social identification with the disaster-affected community, greater continuity of social group ties, and greater formation of new social group ties. New group ties were a mixed blessing, positively predicting both resilience and distress.
Conclusions We conclude that investment in social resources is key to supporting mental health outcomes, not just reactively in the aftermath of disasters, but also proactively in communities most at risk.
defining moment in the nation’s contemporary history. The event
revealed the role of neoliberal economic reconfigurations in the
construction of social and temporal experience, particularly by
highlighting the public’s investment in, and aspiration for, a bright
economic future during the early-2000s. Drawing on our
independent ethnographic work, we collectively trace the
enormous growth and decline of the Icelandic economy over the
last two decades and examine the ways the collapse has
produced new feelings, associations and expectations that
continue to frame the past, present and future. In doing so, we
explore and problematize the interdependencies between
temporality and everyday social practices amid crisis. We argue
that, despite the economy strengthening over the last decade, a
sense of economic uncertainty has remained, with many
Icelanders anticipating another collapse. We conclude by
discussing the unfinished nature of crisis and role of public
forecasting as a means for contending with ongoing economic
insecurity.
members, academics and legal experts with regard to cultural fishing and the values associated with cultural fishing activities. The report also details the aspirations and future directions of local Aboriginal community members who hold common values and interests as cultural fishers in the region.
It details the ways several Indigenous communities from around Australia are implementing their rights and interests following the restitution of their land and sea territories. Initiatives discussed throughout the workshop included the development of Indigenous commercial enterprises, the establishment of Indigenous protected areas (IPAs), traditional use of marine resource agreements (TUMRAs), and Indigenous land use agreements (ILUAs), as well as the integration of traditional and contemporary knowledge, tools and frameworks to achieve group aspirations for the ways country is managed.
Icelandic ethnicity is inextricably linked to what it means to be an Icelander, and this has often lead to the assertion that Iceland is a classless society. However, as the collapse has been attributed to the workings of Icelandic bankers, many Icelanders now believe that this sense of equality has been fractured and dismantled. In this thesis, responses to the collapse are analysed through literature on cultural trauma and wounding, and the argument is made that economic collapse has triggered the genegotiation of Icelandic ethnic identity. By employing ethnicity as the guiding framework for this research, this thesis argues that ethnic identities emerge and respond to the environments in which they exist. Current efforts by Icelanders to mobilise their ethnic identity are investigated to elucidate how ethnic groups negotiate instances of trauma and wounding in order to locate pathways towards the healing and recalibration of their ethnic identity.