Social Studies on Hazards of Natural Origin on the Northern Border of Mexico. A Theoretical-Methodological Review

Abstract

This article aims to identify and analyze the academic production from the social sciences concerning the dangers of natural origin. We delimit it for Mexico’s northern border from 1996 to 2019. The methodological strategy used was a content analysis of the reviewed works’ objectives, methods, and analytical categories. We identified a consistent increase in interest in natural hazards, predominantly quantitative approaches and from a macro level of analysis, using categories such as social vulnerability, risk, and adaptation, despite the lack of dialogue with sociological theory. In conclusion, we find a diversity of works with different theoretical-methodological approaches that problematize the social, political, and economic context of the effects of natural phenomena. We show the diversity and evolution of these studies and the usage of the categories of analysis.