Atomic collective : radioactive life in Kazakhstan / Magdalena E. Stawkowski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stawkowski, Magdalena E., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kazakhastan--Social life and customs--21st century.

Kazakhastan.

Kazakhastan--Economic conditions--21st century.

Nuclear weapons--Testing--Social aspects--Kazakhastan.

Nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons--Testing--Health aspects--Kazakhastan.

Nuclear weapons--Testing--Environmental aspects--Kazakhastan.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 220 pages)

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 2025.

Summary:

"In the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Kazakhstan inherited the remnants of one of the world’s most contaminated landscapes: the Semipalatinsk Test Site, known locally as the Polygon. Resigned to dispossession, residents have chosen to remain on the abandoned nuclear test site, despite the isolation and the radioactive environment, rather than face marginalization or the rigors of a neoliberal world. Atomic Collective examines this nuclear legacy through a decade-long ethnographic examination of the village of Koian, situated on the border of the test site. Facing residual radiation all around them and isolation, Koianers persist, reshaping their pastoral existence among the ruins and scientific debates surrounding genetic damage. Drawing on first-hand accounts and archival research, this book explores the resilience and everyday survival strategies of a community left behind to fend for itself in the shadow of nuclear testing. It offers a unique perspective on life in a nuclear zone and poses fundamental questions about human resilience and the impact of historical events on a collective identity. Atomic Collective sheds light on a community overlooked in the larger Cold War histories of atomic testing."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: "Discovering" Koian

"The forbidden zone" : atomic bombs and the good life

"Clean air is our death" : debates about genetic mutation

"Sami po sebe" : economy on the periphery

"They think we are stupid" : reinventing Kazakh tradition

Conclusion: The atomic present.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-4875-6032-X

1-4875-6031-1

OCLC:

1463410756