This panel critically interrogates the conceptualization of "natural disasters" within the discourse of development studies. By unpacking the sociopolitical and cultural complexities inherent in these events, the papers in this panel aim to disrupt the prevailing narrative that situates disasters as natural. Through examination of disaster response, recovery, and relocation, our objective is to illuminate the interplay of socio-political, cultural, and gender dynamics shaping the experiences of communities affected by disasters. Drawing on empirical evidence from cases in Pakistan and the Philippines, the papers offer nuanced insights into the gendered and political dimensions of disaster management. This panel seeks to initiate a scholarly conversation, probing the ways in which disasters are constructed within multifaceted social, political, economic, and ecological contexts, and exploring their intersections with broader development efforts. It invites scholars to engage in a thoughtful reevaluation of established paradigms in the study of disasters and their implications for academic and practical endeavors in international development.

The Philippine government is divided into multiple levels: national, provincial, municipal and barangay-level. This makes the system prone to politicking, with political support in the country depending largely on political ties, parties, and alliances rather than a unifying ideology. These characteristics thus produce the risk of a biased disaster response, where allies of the incumbent government could prioritize the allocation of resources towards provinces, municipalities, or barangays under the leadership of allied party members or family members, excluding those from the opposition.

Pakistan has experienced numerous disasters since independence; many of these disasters were precipitated by floods. Recently, the massive 2022 flood affected and displaced millions of people. Similar to other disasters, women faced particular impacts and challenges during the disaster relief and recovery phases. Using an intersectional approach, this paper explores the roles of religious and cultural gendered norms and practices in shaping Pashtun women's disaster experiences at evacuation camps following the 2022 floods. The paper draws upon fieldwork conducted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, in which qualitative data were collected using interviews and focus group discussions with flood-affected women with varied socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The results show that religiously and culturally defined concepts of purdah, sharam, and honor affected Pashtun women's access to relief goods, aid, services, and facilities, which further heightened their vulnerability and risks to their physical safety, security, and health status. In highlighting the centrality of religiously and culturally defined gendered norms and practices in shaping women’s experiences with evacuation camps, the paper critiques the neglect of gendered religious and cultural concerns in mainstream humanitarian disaster response and recovery efforts.

This paper reframes post-disaster relocation sites as camps, challenging the prevailing narrative of these spaces as enduring solutions. Drawing on empirical studies in the Philippines and Japan, it scrutinizes diverse forms of camp governance by state, faith-based, humanitarian, and civil society actors. Through lenses of loss politics, spatial practices, and resistance, the study reveals the persistent socio-spatial restrictions shaping survivor subjectivities. By privileging "incompleteness" over "finishedness," it highlights the ongoing struggles and agency of disaster survivors in navigating rules governing resettlement, unacknowledged meaning-making in post-disaster spaces, and subtle forms of resistance. This reconceptualization contributes to a nuanced understanding of the socio-spatial dynamics, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and addressing the continuing challenges faced by survivors long after the initial displacement has been deemed resolved.