Resilience: the term's evolution from 19th-century medicine to diverse applications today

Abstract

Resilience has become an increasingly popular concept, particularly in the context of climate change and its impact on the environment and cities. Its history and meaning are multifaceted, with various definitions across different disciplines, geocultural contexts, and historical periods. What is the etymology of resilience? How was it used throughout recent history from the moment it was first used? How did the term gain, lose and regain popularity from the early 19th century until today? How did resilience affect diverse disciplines? This research aims to answer all these questions and shed a light on the evolution of the term resilience. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part presents a historical narrative of resilience, combining a large-scale quantitative study of published books with a scholarly evaluation of outstanding source material to examine its evolution and diversification. The second part provides a theoretical interpretation of the observations, using causal models to compare the history of resilience to other cultural phenomena such as “science” and “Chicago school.” The findings emphasize the significance of resilience in contemporary discourse and its role in shaping cultural narratives. By analyzing the history and development of resilience, this research aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of what resilience means for our future living environment, taking into account its historical context. Furthermore, this study contributes to the hypothesis that the growth and diversification of cultural terms, including resilience, is an important aspect of cultural movements.