Hurricane Katrina: exploring justice and fairness as a sociology of common good(s)

Authors

Stephanie Perkiss, University of WollongongFollow
Lee C. Moerman, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

117190

Publication Details

Perkiss, S. & Moerman, L. (2017). Hurricane Katrina: exploring justice and fairness as a sociology of common good(s). Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Online first 1-15.

Abstract

Disasters or crises present opportunities to challenge society's taken-for-granted assumptions about the order of things. This paper applies the sociology of worth (SOW), as detailed by Boltanski & Thévenot, ([1991] 2006), to conceptualize the 'common good' in complex social situations or disputes, in this case a disaster. We use SOW to construct a narrative of Hurricane Katrina according to a nuanced understanding of disruptions to the social order. Previous accounting studies of disasters have demonstrated how accounts play a pivotal role in defining questions of justice and accountability - to whom and for what? SOW provides a framework to accommodate multiple rationalities and experiences in relation to a particular 'situation'. We argue that the common good, evaluated through logic and reasoning within a 'situation' or social reality, is multiple. This study contributes to our understanding of and making visible the contentions, compromises and conflicts that arise from a disaster and mobilize neglected or hidden accounts of what it means to achieve the common good.