Introduction
Part I : Theoretical and organizational backgrounds
Sociological questions of crises and disasters in our contemporary society
What is resilience? The state of the art
Organizational response to emergencies : Italian civil protection and civil defence service
Part II : Empirical research
Into the field : three Italian earthquakes
Civil protection voluntary service : an introduction to the issue through interviews with experts
Italian civil protection volunteers : "professional" resilience and the importance of training
Populations' experience of earthquakes and possible resilient responses to disasters
Conclusion : final proposal
Methodological note.