“Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City: Class, Resilience, and Sheltering in Place” by Anna Maria Bounds Highlights Class Divide in NYC

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, December 10, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- New York City’s distinct urban prepper subculture gained a new significance during COVID-19. In the recently released “Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City: Class, Resilience and Sheltering in Place,” Anna Maria Bounds, associate professor of sociology at Queens College, City University of New York, provides an in-depth analysis of why socioeconomic divisions impacted the city’s response to the pandemic, reshaping the prepper community’s practices.

“At its core, New York is about survival. New Yorkers met COVID-19 with ingenuity, turning self-reliance into community resilience and highlighting the vital role of good governance and a supportive, adaptive citizenry in times of crisis.” Bounds’ insights draw on her deep research into urban preppers, revealing why the crisis exposed entrenched class disparities and underscored the essential role of local networks in effective disaster response.

From the wealthy exodus to the middle class sheltering in place and lower-income communities facing restricted mobility in high-risk neighborhoods, the ethnography captures the spectrum of resilience strategies and how different social classes navigated the crisis. Urban preppers, previously seen as a niche subculture, contributed to community-driven resilience efforts, leveraging local knowledge to fill critical gaps in disaster management.

The book urges cities to adopt disaster management approaches that go beyond “command and control,” making space for grassroots contributions. Bounds’ research shows collaboration between governments and communities leads to more adaptive and resilient crisis recovery.

“Urban Preppers and the Pandemic in New York City: Class, Resilience and Sheltering in Place” is now available through Routledge and major book retailers. For more information, visit annamariabounds.org.

About the Author
Anna Maria Bounds is an associate professor of sociology at Queens College, City University of New York. With a Ph.D. in urban and public policy from The New School, Bounds is a leading voice studying urban subcultures, city tourism, and public space. Her previous book, “Bracing for the Apocalypse: An Ethnographic Study of New York's ‘Prepper’ Subculture,” examines the rise of the urban prepper movement and how it reflects broader shifts in societal trust and self-reliance. Bounds’ work provides a unique lens on how class, race, and government expectations shape disaster preparedness strategies, drawing rich insights from her ethnographic research in New York City.

Anna Maria Bounds, Ph.D.
Queens College, City University of New York
+1 646-761-7621
anna.bounds@qc.cuny.edu
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