Key research themes
1. How do ancient textual and archaeological sources reconstruct and interpret flood myths in early literary and cultural traditions?
This theme examines the literary composition, transmission, and allegorical frameworks of ancient flood narratives, focusing on textual traditions and their cultural-historical contexts. Understanding the literary structures of flood myths elucidates how ancient societies encoded collective memories, theological motifs, and historical experiences of flooding within their apocalyptic and allegorical literature.
2. What evidence supports specific geographical localizations of the Great Flood myth in ancient civilizations, and how do archaeological and climatic data inform these historical-geographical reconstructions?
This theme investigates empirical and multidisciplinary methodologies employed to locate the historical and environmental contexts of ancient flood myths, particularly the legendary Great Floods in ancient China and other regions. The integration of archaeological settlements, paleoenvironmental data, and flood control practices serves to critically assess traditional and alternative site attributions of flood narratives, providing insight into human adaptation to catastrophic hydrological events.
3. How do contemporary flood risk communication, vulnerability assessment, and behavioral studies contribute to managing flood hazards and societal resilience?
This theme addresses the human dimension of flood risk, focusing on risk perception, communication strategies, socio-behavioral responses, and vulnerability mapping. It encompasses quantitative and qualitative analyses of flood information dissemination, clustering of vulnerable zones, modeling of risk-informed behaviors, and decision-making frameworks for emergency preparedness. These investigations provide insights into optimizing public awareness and resilience against flooding within urban and rural contexts.