ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the origins and prominent early conceptualisations of hazard and disaster resilience and its complex dynamics. Resilience has particularly wide applicability: hazard and disaster resilience being just one subset of the wider application of the concept. The chapter argues that disaster resilience science is yet a mature science because it is characterised by a theory gap and faces considerable challenges. Published disaster resilience measurement methods and application case studies are rapidly expanding. Ideas on the sources of disaster resilience or variables influencing it also vary widely. Disaster resilience science is a challenged science, least because resilience dynamics are complex. Developing verified or validated disaster resilience measurement tools for different circumstances and making them more routine remain important challenges in the quest to make disaster resilience science more mature and dependable for policymakers and practitioners. The multi-dimensional concept of resilience has gained prominence and now dominates thinking about the management of risks facing humankind.
