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Endurance: Australian stories of drought

Endurance: Australian stories of drought, by Deb Anderson, Clayton VIC, CSIRO Publishing, 2014, 256 pp., $45 (Paperback), ISBN 978-1486301201Following the Millenium drought that left most of the Australian continent under extreme water use restrictions, and farmers unable to meet food supply needs, Deb Anderson provides an excellent oral history of how this drought affected those in one of Australia's hardest hit regions, the Mallee. Drawing upon interviews over a number of years and informed by historical records, including photos from the Museum of Victoria's archives, Anderson invites participants to tell their stories in historical and current contexts. Sampling individuals and families from diverse industries, including farming, service provision and government, her in-depth research shows links among myth, policy, environmental realities, community and social discourse to explore questions of ontological security, identity and the legitimacy of historical narratives.Laid out in six chapters, the first three chapters conceptualise the myths, history and humanity of drought (chapter 1), the complexity of defining drought (chapter 2) and the methodological bases of her expert linking of historical and contemporary sources (chapter 3). From chapter 4 onwards, readers encounter exploration of the lived experience of drought interspersed with analysis of discourses and myths in contemporary lived experience. In chapter 4, Anderson unpacks the attitude of "making do", chapter 5 examines the notion of uncertainty and chapter 6 explores the idea of "adaptation" to climate change. Underpinning these concepts is exploration of institutional and structural impacts of drought on the marginalised and disadvantaged in the Mallee, leading readers through historical, symbolic and interpersonal discourses of drought in Australia. Anderson's book interrogates links among people, drought, places and symbols to provide a scholarly, heart-warming, and heartbreaking account of life in the Mallee.Clearly written and easily read, there is great depth to this work. Much of Anderson's analysis draws on sociological research of gender, institutional and structural solutions to community and social problems. The analysis shows the "human face" of inadequate government support during the drought and recovery, making a meaningful contribution to what we know about drought and raising questions about neoliberal policy and its relationship to community sustainability. Links between climate change and mental health, family stability and the future of rural life for new generations, how new definitions of drought affect those living and working in areas prone to water scarcity and climate change affect young and ageing populations in rural Australia are all explored. Additionally, the role of volunteers, non-profit and government service providers and community infrastructure in climate crises are discussed. Ultimately, questions revolve around how historical myth and discourse affect lived experience of drought and how people make sense of reoccurring drought in their lives, as well as the security (ontological, economic, community and symbolic) of lifestyles and identities.Anderson's main contribution lies in the increasing trend in sociological and anthropological research to include the human voice (or lived experience) in climate change by exploring cultural discourse and definitions of drought, a surprisingly complex task. Globally, climate change and social sustainability, in particular social inequality, have been linked (Beck, 2010a). Others, however, have suggested drought in Australia conveys how governments and communities respond to climate variability, as Bureau of Meteorology (http://www. bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml) reports detail. Thus, the contribution Anderson makes is conceptualising drought through climate change's institutional management, showing how discursive operations of drought's definition have a real impact on the lived experience of those in drought affected communities. …