Olga Kuchinskaya
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262027694
- eISBN:
- 9780262325417
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027694.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
Before Fukushima, the most notorious large-scale nuclear accident the world had seen was Chernobyl in 1986. The fallout from Chernobyl covered vast areas in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in ...
More
Before Fukushima, the most notorious large-scale nuclear accident the world had seen was Chernobyl in 1986. The fallout from Chernobyl covered vast areas in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Europe. Belarus, at the time a Soviet republic, suffered heavily: nearly a quarter of its territory was covered with long-lasting radionuclides. Yet the damage from the massive fallout was largely imperceptible; contaminated communities looked exactly like non-contaminated ones. It could only be known through constructed representations of it. The book explores how we know what we know about Chernobyl, describing how the consequences of a nuclear accident were made invisible. The analysis sheds valuable light on how we deal with other modern hazards—toxins or global warming—that are largely imperceptible to the human senses. The book describes the production of invisibility of Chernobyl’s consequences in Belarus—practices that limit public attention to radiation and make its health effects impossible to observe. Just as mitigating radiological contamination requires infrastructural solutions, the production of invisibility also involves infrastructural efforts, from categorical work of redefining the scope and nature of the accident’s consequences to reshaping infrastructures for research and radiation protection. The book finds historical fluctuations in recognition, tracing varyingly successful efforts to conceal or reveal Chernobyl’s consequences at different levels—among affected populations, scientists, government, media, and international organizations. The production of invisibility, the book argues, is a function of power relations.Less
Before Fukushima, the most notorious large-scale nuclear accident the world had seen was Chernobyl in 1986. The fallout from Chernobyl covered vast areas in the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Europe. Belarus, at the time a Soviet republic, suffered heavily: nearly a quarter of its territory was covered with long-lasting radionuclides. Yet the damage from the massive fallout was largely imperceptible; contaminated communities looked exactly like non-contaminated ones. It could only be known through constructed representations of it. The book explores how we know what we know about Chernobyl, describing how the consequences of a nuclear accident were made invisible. The analysis sheds valuable light on how we deal with other modern hazards—toxins or global warming—that are largely imperceptible to the human senses. The book describes the production of invisibility of Chernobyl’s consequences in Belarus—practices that limit public attention to radiation and make its health effects impossible to observe. Just as mitigating radiological contamination requires infrastructural solutions, the production of invisibility also involves infrastructural efforts, from categorical work of redefining the scope and nature of the accident’s consequences to reshaping infrastructures for research and radiation protection. The book finds historical fluctuations in recognition, tracing varyingly successful efforts to conceal or reveal Chernobyl’s consequences at different levels—among affected populations, scientists, government, media, and international organizations. The production of invisibility, the book argues, is a function of power relations.
Olga Kuchinskaya
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262027694
- eISBN:
- 9780262325417
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027694.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
Chapter 4 examines the succession of approaches that defined Belarusian radiation protection efforts after Chernobyl. The scope of radiation danger recognized by the government and the official view ...
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Chapter 4 examines the succession of approaches that defined Belarusian radiation protection efforts after Chernobyl. The scope of radiation danger recognized by the government and the official view on required protection measures depend on the adopted radiation protection concept. It is developed by scientists, and like most formal representations (e.g., thresholds or standards), it appears neutral and objective. In Belarus, this radiation protection concept was redefined several times, and each time the scope of the recognized radiological contamination shrank or expanded radically. This chapter argues that the production of (in)visibility depends on how formal representations are aligned with what could be measured in practice and on the extent to which they seek to account for the empirical complexity of radiological contamination.Less
Chapter 4 examines the succession of approaches that defined Belarusian radiation protection efforts after Chernobyl. The scope of radiation danger recognized by the government and the official view on required protection measures depend on the adopted radiation protection concept. It is developed by scientists, and like most formal representations (e.g., thresholds or standards), it appears neutral and objective. In Belarus, this radiation protection concept was redefined several times, and each time the scope of the recognized radiological contamination shrank or expanded radically. This chapter argues that the production of (in)visibility depends on how formal representations are aligned with what could be measured in practice and on the extent to which they seek to account for the empirical complexity of radiological contamination.
Olga Kuchinskaya
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262027694
- eISBN:
- 9780262325417
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027694.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
Chapter 2 discusses the multiplicity of lay perspectives on risks. Residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus show different levels of concern about radiation and, correspondingly, there is a ...
More
Chapter 2 discusses the multiplicity of lay perspectives on risks. Residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus show different levels of concern about radiation and, correspondingly, there is a range of internal radiation doses, which result from consuming contaminated food. The chapter argues that even though people “make their own doses,” they do so not in circumstances of their own choosing. A particular intertwining of radiological, economic, and infrastructural factors leads to the greater exposure of the least socially advantaged groups. Furthermore, some local populations resist attempts to make contamination more observable simply because, in the absence of infrastructural solutions, mitigating this contamination would then require constant efforts that are beyond individual or family resources. Finally, interpretations of risk are also affected by individuals’ own trajectories with respect to the hazard--that is, the extent to which radiation exposure remains a current problem or has happened in the past.Less
Chapter 2 discusses the multiplicity of lay perspectives on risks. Residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus show different levels of concern about radiation and, correspondingly, there is a range of internal radiation doses, which result from consuming contaminated food. The chapter argues that even though people “make their own doses,” they do so not in circumstances of their own choosing. A particular intertwining of radiological, economic, and infrastructural factors leads to the greater exposure of the least socially advantaged groups. Furthermore, some local populations resist attempts to make contamination more observable simply because, in the absence of infrastructural solutions, mitigating this contamination would then require constant efforts that are beyond individual or family resources. Finally, interpretations of risk are also affected by individuals’ own trajectories with respect to the hazard--that is, the extent to which radiation exposure remains a current problem or has happened in the past.
Olga Kuchinskaya
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780262027694
- eISBN:
- 9780262325417
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262027694.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
The introductory chapter explains the problem of post-Chernobyl contamination, which is described as chronic, pervasive, and imperceptible, and outlines how the recognition of Chernobyl’s ...
More
The introductory chapter explains the problem of post-Chernobyl contamination, which is described as chronic, pervasive, and imperceptible, and outlines how the recognition of Chernobyl’s consequences in Belarus fluctuated historically. The chapter introduces the concept of the production of (in)visibility of Chernobyl’s consequences: different ways of representing Chernobyl can make radiation and its effects observable and publicly visible, or they can make them unobservable and publicly nonexistent. Articulation and its infrastructural conditions are emphasized as the main aspects in the production of (in)visibility. The chapter also discusses the potential scale of the production of invisibility and argues that the production of invisibility is a function of power relations. The chapter concludes with a brief description of the author’s methodological approach and a chapter outline.Less
The introductory chapter explains the problem of post-Chernobyl contamination, which is described as chronic, pervasive, and imperceptible, and outlines how the recognition of Chernobyl’s consequences in Belarus fluctuated historically. The chapter introduces the concept of the production of (in)visibility of Chernobyl’s consequences: different ways of representing Chernobyl can make radiation and its effects observable and publicly visible, or they can make them unobservable and publicly nonexistent. Articulation and its infrastructural conditions are emphasized as the main aspects in the production of (in)visibility. The chapter also discusses the potential scale of the production of invisibility and argues that the production of invisibility is a function of power relations. The chapter concludes with a brief description of the author’s methodological approach and a chapter outline.
