ABSTRACT
Chapter three is the first of a series of overviews of the main disciplines and closely-related fields of study that inform event studies. Each chapter adopts a common approach that helps the reader to derive an up to date synthesis of the key contributions which different fields have made to events, with both seminal studies discussed through to the most recent reviews of the field. In this chapter, five foundations are considered in light of our understanding of the roles, meanings, importance and impacts of events in society and culture. These disciplines are anthropology, sociology, philosophy, religious studies and psychology (including social and environmental psychology). For each discipline the discussion covers specific contributions to understanding the nature and meanings of events, antecedents, experiences, outcomes, patterns, processes and policy.
