Atomic Collective: Radioactive Life in Kazakhstan

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.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: “Discovering” Koian 1. “The Forbidden Zone”: Atomic Bombs and the Good Life Introduction Before the Bombs Atomic Testing and the Virgin Lands Project After the Bombs Atomic Reflections Conclusion 2. “Clean Air Is Our Death”: Debates About Genetic Mutation Introduction The Debate About Low-Dose Radiation Radiophobia as a Discursive Strategy Containing the Damage The Koianer Response Conclusion 3. “Sami Po Sebe”: Economy on the Periphery Introduction Envisioning the Collective Trip to the Bazar The Return of Tradition Conclusion 4. “They Think We are Stupid”: Reinventing Kazakh Tradition Introduction A People Apart Experimental Rabbits False Compliance A System in Shambles Conclusion Conclusion: The Atomic Present

About the Author :
Madgalena E. Stawkowski is a McCausland Faculty Fellow and an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at the University of South Carolina.