Institute of Geography

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Raised on a farm in Denmark and educated in the UK and Australia, I am driven by a curiosity about local environmental knowledge and the societal coping capacities generated by it. My work builds on two decades of social science research, with case studies spanning Australia, North America, Europe, and Africa. My research focuses on social dimensions of disasters, particularly people’s ability to coexist with wildfire. It considers broader contexts, such as cultural norms, political agendas, climate change, and environmental history.

I completed my PhD and then worked as a social scientist at the University of Wollongong, Australia from 2007-2020. I then relocated to Switzerland to work as a senior researcher in the Center for Security Studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) from 2020-2023. In August 2023, I commenced a five-year research professorship funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation at the University of Bern, which focuses on building community resilience to wildfires in Europe.

By bringing natural hazards into dialogue with human and social geography, I have gained international recognition as a ground-breaking disaster researcher. As the author of two books and over one hundred other publications, and with extensive outrearch, public speaking, and teaching experience, my track-record demonstrates a long-standing commitment to qualitative research that is in-depth, applied, collaborative, and interdisciplinary.

For further details about my work, please visit my personal website.

Publications

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2024

Eriksen, Christine (2024). Coexisting with wildfire: strengthening collective capacity by changing the status quo. Fire Ecology, 20(59) Springer 10.1186/s42408-024-00290-y

2023

Eriksen, Christine (7 December 2023). When the familiar becomes the unknown: Coping, caring, and coexisting in a fiery world (Unpublished). In: AFE Fire Congress 2023: Closing Plenary Session. Monterey, California, USA. 7 December 2023.

Eriksen, Christine (2023). Fire. In: Wallenhorst, Nathanaël; Wulf, Christoph (eds.) Handbook of the Anthropocene (pp. 133-137). Cham: Springer International Publishing 10.1007/978-3-031-25910-4_21

Eriksen, Christine; Herzog, Stephen (2023). Nuclear Waste. In: Wallenhorst, Nathanaël; Wulf, Christoph (eds.) Handbook of the Anthropocene (pp. 1521-1525). Cham: Springer International Publishing 10.1007/978-3-031-25910-4_247

McKinnon, Scott; Eriksen, Christine (2023). Engaging with the home-in-ruins: memory, temporality and the unmaking of home after fire. Social & cultural geography, 24(2), pp. 311-326. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/14649365.2021.1939127

Dunn Cavelty, Myriam; Eriksen, Christine; Scharte, Benjamin (2023). Making cyber security more resilient: adding social considerations to technological fixes. Journal of Risk Research, 26(7), pp. 801-814. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/13669877.2023.2208146

2022

Reimer, Rachel; Eriksen, Christine (2022). Leadership in Mountain and Wildland Professions in Canada: Examining the Impacts of Gender, Safety, and Climate Change. In: Fletcher, Amber J.; Reed, Maureen G. (eds.) Gender and the Social Dimensions of Climate Change: Rural and Resource Contexts of the Global North (pp. 149-167). London: Routledge 10.4324/9781003089209-12

Lakhina, Shefali Juneja; Eriksen, Christine (2022). Seeking Safe Refuge in Regional Australia: Experiences of Hazards and Practices of Safety among Women from Refugee Backgrounds. In: Fletcher, Amber J.; Reed, Maureen G. (eds.) Gender and the Social Dimensions of Climate Change: Rural and Resource Contexts of the Global North (pp. 38-54). London: Routledge 10.4324/9781003089209-4

McKinnon, Scott; Eriksen, Christine; de Vet, Eliza (2022). Between absence and presence: Questioning the value of insurance for bushfire recovery. In: Booth, Kate; Lucas, Chloe; French, Shaun (eds.) Climate, Society and Elemental Insurance: Capacities and Limitations (pp. 99-110). London: Routledge 10.4324/9781003157571-11

Eriksen, Christine; Turnbull, Jonathon (2022). Insure the volume? Sensing air, atmospheres and radiation in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. In: Booth, Kate; Lucas, Chloe; French, Shaun (eds.) Climate, Society and Elemental Insurance: Capacities and Limitations (pp. 167-182). London: Routledge 10.4324/9781003157571-17

Eriksen, Christine (2022). Wildfires in the Atomic Age: Mitigating the Risk of Radioactive Smoke. Fire, 5(1), p. 2. MDPI 10.3390/fire5010002

Haworth, Billy Tusker; McKinnon, Scott; Eriksen, Christine (2022). Advancing disaster geographies: From marginalisation to inclusion of gender and sexual minorities. Geography compass, 16(11) Wiley 10.1111/gec3.12664

Booth, Kate; Lucas, Chloe; Eriksen, Christine; de Vet, Eliza; Tranter, Bruce; French, Shaun; Young, Travis; McKinnon, Scott (2022). House and contents underinsurance: Insights from bushfire-prone Australia. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 80, p. 103209. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103209

2021

de Vet, Eliza; Eriksen, Christine; McKinnon, Scott (2021). Dilemmas, decision‐making, and disasters: Emotions of parenting, safety, and rebuilding in bushfire recovery. Area, 53(2), pp. 283-291. Wiley 10.1111/area.12696

Eriksen, Christine; Vet, Eliza (2021). Untangling insurance, rebuilding, and wellbeing in bushfire recovery. Geographical research, 59(2), pp. 228-241. Wiley 10.1111/1745-5871.12451

2020

Eriksen, Christine; Ballard, Susan (2020). Alliances in the Anthropocene: Fire, Plants, and People. Singapore: Springer 10.1007/978-981-15-2533-9

de Vet, Eliza; Eriksen, Christine (2020). When insurance and goodwill are not enough: Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) ratings, risk calculations and disaster resilience in Australia. Australian geographer, 51(1), pp. 35-51. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/00049182.2019.1691436

Eriksen, Christine; Simon, Gregory L.; Roth, Florian; Lakhina, Shefali Juneja; Wisner, Ben; Adler, Carolina; Thomalla, Frank; Scolobig, Anna; Brady, Kate; Bründl, Michael; Neisser, Florian; Grenfell, Maree; Maduz, Linda; Prior, Timothy (2020). Rethinking the interplay between affluence and vulnerability to aid climate change adaptive capacity. Climatic change, 162(1), pp. 25-39. Springer 10.1007/s10584-020-02819-x

2019

Eriksen, Christine (2019). Coping, caring and believing: The embodied work of disaster recovery workers. Emotion, space and society, 32, p. 100592. Elsevier 10.1016/j.emospa.2019.100592

Eriksen, Christine (2019). Negotiating adversity with humour: A case study of wildland firefighter women. Political geography, 68, pp. 139-145. Elsevier 10.1016/j.polgeo.2018.08.001

de Vet, Eliza; Eriksen, Christine; Booth, Kate; French, Shaun (2019). An Unmitigated Disaster: Shifting from Response and Recovery to Mitigation for an Insurable Future. International journal of disaster risk science, 10(2), pp. 179-192. Springer 10.1007/s13753-019-0214-0

2018

McGee, Tara; Eriksen, Christine (2018). Defensive Actions and People Preparedness. In: Manzello, Samuel L. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires (pp. 1-6). Cham: Springer International Publishing 10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_93-1

Sword-Daniels, Victoria; Eriksen, Christine; Hudson-Doyle, Emma E.; Alaniz, Ryan; Adler, Carolina; Schenk, Todd; Vallance, Suzanne (2018). Embodied uncertainty: living with complexity and natural hazards. Journal of Risk Research, 21(3), pp. 290-307. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/13669877.2016.1200659

Reimer, Rachel; Eriksen, Christine (2018). The wildfire within: Gender, leadership and wildland fire culture. International journal of wildland fire, 27(11), p. 715. CSIRO Publishing 10.1071/WF17150

2017

Eriksen, Christine (2017). Research Ethics, Trauma and Self-care: reflections on disaster geographies. Australian geographer, 48(2), pp. 273-278. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/00049182.2016.1230001

Eriksen, Christine; Simon, Gregory (2017). The Affluence–Vulnerability Interface: Intersecting scales of risk, privilege and disaster. Environment and planning. A, Economy and space, 49(2), pp. 293-313. Sage 10.1177/0308518X16669511

Eriksen, Christine; Wilkinson, Carrie (2017). Examining perceptions of luck in post-bushfire sense-making in Australia. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 24, pp. 242-250. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.06.017

Penman, T.D.; Eriksen, Christine; Horsey, B.; Green, A.; Lemcke, D.; Cooper, P.; Bradstock, R.A. (2017). Retrofitting for wildfire resilience: What is the cost? International journal of disaster risk reduction, 21, pp. 1-10. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.10.020

2016

Eriksen, Christine (2016). Cultures and Disasters: Understanding Cultural Framings in Disaster Risk Reduction F.Krüger, G.Bankoff, T.Cannon, B.Orlowski and E.L.F.Shipper. Routledge, London and New York, 2015, xv + 282 pp, ISBN 978 0 415 74560 4 (paperback), £31.99. Geographical research, 54(2), pp. 226-227. Wiley 10.1111/1745-5871.12184

Whittaker, Joshua; Eriksen, Christine; Haynes, Katharine (2016). Gendered responses to the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia. Geographical research, 54(2), pp. 203-215. Wiley 10.1111/1745-5871.12162

Wilkinson, Carrie; Eriksen, Christine; Penman, Trent (2016). Into the firing line: civilian ingress during the 2013 “Red October” bushfires, Australia. Natural Hazards, 80(1), pp. 521-538. Springer 10.1007/s11069-015-1982-5

Eriksen, Christine; Waitt, Gordon; Wilkinson, Carrie (2016). Gendered Dynamics of Wildland Firefighting in Australia. Society & Natural Resources, 29(11), pp. 1296-1310. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/08941920.2016.1171938

Penman, T.D.; Eriksen, Christine; Horsey, B.; Bradstock, R.A. (2016). How much does it cost residents to prepare their property for wildfire? International journal of disaster risk reduction, 16, pp. 88-98. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2016.01.012

Eriksen, Christine; Penman, Trent; Horsey, Bronwyn; Bradstock, Ross (2016). Wildfire survival plans in theory and practice. International journal of wildland fire, 25(4), pp. 363-377. CSIRO Publishing 10.1071/WF14193

2015

Eriksen, Christine; Ditrich, Tamara (2015). The relevance of mindfulness practice for trauma-exposed disaster researchers. Emotion, space and society, 17, pp. 63-69. Elsevier 10.1016/j.emospa.2015.07.004

Wilkinson, Carrie; Eriksen, Christine (2015). Fire, water and everyday life: Bushfire and household defence in a changing climate. Fire safety journal, 78, pp. 102-110. Elsevier 10.1016/j.firesaf.2015.08.005

Gill, Nicholas; Dun, Olivia; Brennan-Horley, Chris; Eriksen, Christine (2015). Landscape Preferences, Amenity, and Bushfire Risk in New South Wales, Australia. Environmental management, 56(3), pp. 738-753. Springer 10.1007/s00267-015-0525-x

2014

Eriksen, Christine (2014). Gendered Risk Engagement: Challenging the Embedded Vulnerability, Social Norms and Power Relations in Conventional Australian Bushfire Education. Geographical research, 52(1), pp. 23-33. Wiley 10.1111/1745-5871.12046

Eriksen, Christine; Head, Lesley (2014). Geographical Fire Research in Australia: Review and Prospects. Geographical research, 52(1), pp. 1-5. Wiley 10.1111/1745-5871.12052

Eriksen, Christine; Hankins, Don L. (2014). The Retention, Revival, and Subjugation of Indigenous Fire Knowledge through Agency Fire Fighting in Eastern Australia and California. Society & Natural Resources, 27(12), pp. 1288-1303. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/08941920.2014.918226

2013

Eriksen, Christine (2013). Gender and Wildfire: Landscapes of Uncertainty. New York: Routledge 10.4324/9781315779508

Penman, T.D.; Eriksen, Christine; Blanchi, R.; Chladil, M.; Gill, A.M.; Haynes, K.; Leonard, J.; McLennan, J.; Bradstock, R.A. (2013). Defining adequate means of residents to prepare property for protection from wildfire. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 6, pp. 67-77. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2013.09.001

Eriksen, Christine; Prior, Timothy (2013). Defining the importance of mental preparedness for risk communication and residents well-prepared for wildfire. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 6, pp. 87-97. Elsevier 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2013.09.006

Prior, Tim; Eriksen, Christine (2013). Wildfire preparedness, community cohesion and social–ecological systems. Global environmental change, 23(6), pp. 1575-1586. Elsevier 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.09.016

2012

Eriksen, Christine (2012). Women in leadership: contextual dynamics and boundaries - By Karin Klenke. Gender, Place and Culture, 19(3), pp. 398-400. Routledge 10.1080/0966369X.2012.675474

Eriksen, Christine (2012). The atlas of women in the world - By Joni Seager. New Zealand Geographer, 68(2), pp. 143-144. Wiley 10.1111/j.1745-7939.2012.01230_3.x

Gill, Nicholas; Adams, Michael; Eriksen, Christine (2012). Engaging with the (Un)familiar: Field Teaching in a Multi-Campus Teaching Environment. Journal of geography in higher education, 36(2), pp. 259-275. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/03098265.2011.619523

2011

Eriksen, Christine; Gill, Nick; Bradstock, Ross (2011). Trial by Fire: natural hazards, mixed-methods and cultural research. Australian geographer, 42(1), pp. 19-40. Taylor & Francis 10.1080/00049182.2011.546317

Eriksen, Christine; Prior, Timothy (2011). The art of learning: wildfire, amenity migration and local environmental knowledge. International journal of wildland fire, 20(4), pp. 612-624. CSIRO Publishing 10.1071/WF10018

2010

Eriksen, Christine; Gill, Nicholas (2010). Bushfire and everyday life: Examining the awareness-action ‘gap’ in changing rural landscapes. Geoforum, 41(5), pp. 814-825. Elsevier 10.1016/j.geoforum.2010.05.004

Eriksen, Christine; Gill, Nicholas; Head, Lesley (2010). The gendered dimensions of bushfire in changing rural landscapes in Australia. Journal of rural studies, 26(4), pp. 332-342. Elsevier 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2010.06.001

2007

Eriksen, Christine (2007). Why do they burn the "bush"? Fire, rural livelihoods, and conservation in Zambia. The Geographical Journal, 173(3), pp. 242-256. Wiley 10.1111/j.1475-4959.2007.00239.x