Radioactive Governance - by Maxime Polleri

Book Synopsis

Examines the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster

The 2011 Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear disaster was the worst industrial nuclear catastrophe to hit Japan. It was a major event, rated at the highest severity, which released radioactive elements into the power plant's surrounding environment when back-up systems failed and could not sufficiently cool the nuclear reactors. At least 164,000 people were permanently or temporarily displaced.

Radioactive Governance offers an ethnographic look at how the disaster was handled by Japan. Unlike prior nuclear-related narratives, such as those surrounding Chernobyl or Hiroshima, which focused on themes of harm, trauma, and victimization, the Japanese government consistently put forward a discourse of minimal or no radiation-related dangers, a gradual bringing home of former evacuees, a restarting of nuclear power plants, and the promotion of a resilient mindset in the face of adversity. This narrative worked to counter other understandings of recovery, such as those of worried citizens unsuccessfully fighting for permanent evacuation because they were afraid to go back to their homes.

Providing a rich theorization of how both governments and citizens shape narratives about catastrophic events, Radioactive Governance not only displays how Fukushima became a story of hope and resilience rather than of victimization, but also how radioactive governance shifted from the nuclear secrecy that characterized the Cold War era to relying on international organizations and domestic citizens to co-manage the aftermath of disasters.

Review Quotes

"Radioactive Governance provides a gripping account of the multilayered, extended response to Japan's unimaginable triple disaster of March 2011. Thousands died, far-reaching ecological damage accumulates--yet our faith in nuclear power lives on. In crisp prose, Maxime Polleri convincingly questions the transformative power of catastrophes--an essential, compelling read."--Sabine Frühstück, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Examines how Japanese authorities transformed the Fukushima nuclear disaster from crisis to "recovery" using diverse strategies. Through ethnographic fieldwork, Polleri reveals how state agencies, scientific bodies, and citizen groups shaped perceptions of radiation risks, enabling a politics of revitalization that normalized contamination and prioritized economic concerns over evacuation demands. Radioactive Governance offers critical insights into disaster management in increasingly toxic environments."--Daniel P. Aldrich, author of Sites Fights, Building Resilience, and Black Wave

About the Author

Maxime Polleri is Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Université Laval.