A Social Justice Lens to Examine Refugee Populations Affected by Disasters

The pedagogical implications of encouraging social work students to consider the inter-sections of social justice with communities affected by disasters are considerable. This focus is key as disasters can impact upon vulnerable groups in disproportionate ways. The Canterbury earthquakes, which have been characterised by four major events and thousands of subsequent aftershocks, provide a setting to examine a number of sensitising questions that can help orient social work students to a social justice frame. This paper presents reflections on conducting research with resettled refugee groups living in Christchurch to demonstrate how a social justice model can be pedagogically applied in disaster contexts. Using Finn and Jacobson’s “just practice” model, it breaks down the complexities of social justice into five workable components that students could use to critically envisage and constructively respond to a disaster event involving culturally and linguistically diverse populations.