Tragédia, risco e controlo: uma releitura psico-social dos testemunhos do terramoto de 1755

Abstract

This article analyzes reports of what happened after the earthquake which struck Lisbon in 1755 and seeks to interpret them with the concepts and theories used to understand lay thought on modern-day earthquake risk. In particular, this article adopts psychological approaches to risk perception and cognitive adaptation, concepts from cultural theory, and the social amplification of risk model to illustrate how the meaning of the disaster is socially constructed. Emphasis is placed on the functionality of these interpretations in 1755, both at the individual level of managing fear and at the collective level of reinforcing identities.