LATTS is pleased to invite you to the next session of its general seminar, which will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at 2 p.m. The session will focus on the book Radioactive Governance: The Politics of Revitalization in Post-Fukushima Japan, published by New York University Press in 2026.
Maxime Polleri will present his book, followed by a discussion led by Christine Fassert, before opening the floor to questions from the audience.
This session will take place in room B021/B023 (Bienvenüe Building) and will be broadcast via videoconference. Zoom
link: https://univ-eiffel.zoom.us/j/81175761278
Meeting ID: 811 7576 1278
Password: LATTS2026
"The 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster was the worst industrial accident ever experienced by Japan. This catastrophe contaminated large parts of the country, caused mass evacuations, led to economic turmoil, and fueled controversy over the health effects of radiation. Yet, unlike other nuclear tragedies, a discourse of victimization has failed to gain political traction in the conceptualization of this disaster, either in Japan or around the world. An official policy of revitalization has taken precedence over narratives of trauma, which is particularly striking in Japan, whose history is inextricably linked to the atomic bombings. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork across Japan, this presentation examines how different groups have clashed and collaborated in managing such controversial issues as radiation risks and post-disaster reconstruction. Offering a rich theorization of how governments and citizens shape narratives about catastrophic events, the presentation examines how radioactive governance has shifted from the nuclear secrecy that characterized the Cold War era to joint management of the consequences of disasters by international organizations and citizens, transforming nuclear precariousness into rhetoric of revitalization.
Maxime Polleri is an anthropologist specializing in technoscience. He studies the governance of disasters, waste, and misinformation, focusing primarily on nuclear issues.
Book Radioactive Governance. The Politics of Revitalization in Post-Fukushima Japan