I write to you to announce the launch of the Social Science Research Council's Understanding Katrina web forum. As analyses and "spin" of the crisis in the Gulf area grow, we confront the sort of public issue to which a social science response is urgently needed to address the underlying political, social and economic implications of the tragedy.

We hope that you will assist us in drawing attention to the web forum by encouraging the members of the Society for the Study of Social Problems to use Understanding Katrina as a resource for teaching and thinking about the crisis.

http://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org

Craig Calhoun

President
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Ave.
New York, NY 10019
phone: 212-377-2700
fax: 212-377-2727
email: calhoun@ssrc.org