Pluralistic Caring in Disaster Contexts: Lessons from the Noto Peninsula Complex Disaster and its Restoration

In recent years, given the intensification and increased frequency of disasters, as well as evolving social institutions, it has become increasingly important to reconsider how disaster support, disaster practice, and recovery should be handled. Previous studies in the field of disaster research have not addressed the problems of caring theory’s theoretical development, its institutional framework, the relationship between the two, and individual concerns. This paper aims to connect disaster research with caring, focusing on the complex disaster in the Noto Peninsula. It incorporates ideas and practices from various contexts, including everyday life and disaster events, using field experience and methods that do not fit within the institutionalized caring theory. In particular, it emphasizes previously overlooked concepts, such as “good,” “space,” “voice/reality,” and “self.” The results suggest that the concept of caring can pause the traditional roles and frameworks of institutions and professions, as well as the established provider/receiver dynamic. These findings have practical implications as they reveal that, beyond fixed roles, caring should always be seen as a form of sensitivity and perspective that helps us understand the true meaning of coexistence and how to navigate uncertain conditions.