Preparedness in Everyday Life - A social practice perspective

Abstract

This dissertation studies how Norwegian households prepare for and manage extensive electricity and ICT infrastructure breakdowns. Using practice theory, where everyday life is understood to be made up of socially shared practices, the dissertation shows that household preparedness is more than the oft recognized risk awareness and material preparedness resources. The importance of knowing how to perform everyday practices plays a significant role for the level of preparedness in households. By means of qualitative interviews with walk-alongs and visual methods, and a survey several competences are identified. These include previous experience with restricted access to infrastructure as well as infrastructure breakdowns, local geographical knowledge of infrastructure, weather and climate, activating social networks, and the ability to mobilise material resources. The concept of informal household preparedness is established to encompass these competences, demonstrating preparedness also should be understood as a performative resource concept. Informal household preparedness offers a more nuanced understanding of preparedness to research as well as risk management policy.