Major catastrophes appear to be inevitable given the current demographic transition, the growth of mega-cities in disaster hotspots, the predicted effects of global climate change, and the crucial relationship between natural disasters and complex political emergencies. Disaster prevention,...

1. Introduction -- 2. The labour question in the Gold Coast, 1870-1906 / Jeff Crisp -- 3. British nitrate companies and the emergence of Chile's proletariat, 1880-1914 / Manuel Fernandez -- 4. Proletarianisation in Mozambique / Barry Munslow -- 5. The creation of a proletariat on Peru's coastal...