Sociology Seminar 
Time: :12:15 pm – 13:30 pm

Date: October, 2
Room : 2020

Dr Sungju Han (Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research) – “The Paradox of Place: How Emotional Connections Shape Community Responses to Flood Risks”

Abstract : 

Climate change increasingly threatens communities worldwide, yet residents often remain in high-risk areas and sometimes resist protective interventions. This talk explores a fundamental paradox: the same emotional bonds that motivate people to protect their communities can also create resistance to landscape-altering solutions. Drawing on interconnected empirical studies from flood-prone communities in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, I examine how place attachment—the emotional connection people develop to their environments—operates as both a catalyst for adaptation and a barrier to environmental solutions. Using latent profile analysis of household survey data, my research reveals that residents with high place attachment and high risk perception demonstrate the strongest adaptive behaviors, including costly structural modifications. Place attachment acts as an amplifier, transforming abstract risks into personal threats that motivate protective action. However, when examining community responses to nature-based flood solutions such as dike relocations, this same attachment creates resistance when protective measures require altering familiar landscapes. Through the Place-based Risk Appraisal Model (PRAM), I demonstrate how place attachment leads residents to oppose technically sound solutions that threaten place identity. This paradox is explained through the concept of solastalgia—environmental distress caused by unwanted change in one’s home environment. These dynamics illustrate the “holding power” of places—how communities can become trapped between the economic constraints of relocation and intensifying emotional bonds to familiar environments, creating complex questions about habitability in an era of climate change. The findings reveal that residents consistently act to protect their places, but define “protection” differently than technical experts. While risk managers prioritize physical safety, communities prioritize preserving meaningful landscapes and place identities. These insights challenge conventional risk communication approaches and suggest the need for place-sensitive environmental policies that acknowledge the emotional dimensions of community-environment relationships.

Organizers:
Paola TUBARO (Pôle sociologie CREST)

Patrick PRÄG (Pôle sociologie CREST)

Julia NICOLAS  (Pôle sociologie CREST)

Sponsors:
CREST