Description

The beginning of the twentieth century saw a reinterpretation of the concept of the accident. While accidents had traditionally been considered inevitable, modern societies debated their management and prevention. The emergence of the modern state led to an unprecedented capability to deal with accidents. The state formed institutions, practices, and legal concepts that considerably changed everyday life. The contributions in this volume explore social, cultural, political, administrative, and medical responses to accidents in modern states. The case studies include British, French, German, Italian, Chinese, and Chilean experiences and thus provide different national perspectives on the governance of risks.