Making fun of the atom

In the mid-1970s, the fascist-leaning dictatorships in Spain (1939-1977) and Portugal (1933-1974) fell. Closely linked to the 1973 oil crisis, debates over energy and technology policies became very prominent during the ensuing political redefinition of both countries. Two decades after the first in...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Valentines-Álvarez, Jaume|||0000-0001-7642-5353, Macaya-Andrés, Ana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:273910
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/273910
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1111/1600-0498.12224
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Anti-nuclear movement
Counter-culture
Dissident experts
Emotions of protest
Portugal
Scientific ignorance
Spain
Descripción
Sumario:In the mid-1970s, the fascist-leaning dictatorships in Spain (1939-1977) and Portugal (1933-1974) fell. Closely linked to the 1973 oil crisis, debates over energy and technology policies became very prominent during the ensuing political redefinition of both countries. Two decades after the first international agreements between the Iberian regimes and the United States for the development of nuclear programs, a myriad of movements of social resistance to nuclear technology emerged in dialogue with anti-nuclear organizations in other European countries. Fun and playfulness have been used for top-down popularization and banalization of nuclear technologies since the 1950s, but here pleasant forms of resistance also played a central role in contesting national energy plans, expert discourses, and vested interests. This article explores what we call "anti-nuclear fun," the use of amusement, play, and humor as political and epistemic tools to familiarize society with the exceptional and daily risks of the "peaceful atom.".