Narrative and nuclear weapons politics: the entelechial force of the nuclear origin myth

Abstract

This paper contributes a novel way to theorise the power of narratives of nuclear weapons politics through Kenneth Burke's concept of entelechy: the means of stating a things essence through narrating its beginning or end. The paper argues that the Manhattan Project functions narratively in nuclear discourse as an origin myth, so that the repeated telling of atomic creation over time frames the possibilities of nuclear politics today. By linking Burke's work on entelechy with literature on narrative and eschatology, the paper develops a theoretical grounding for understanding the interconnection of the nuclear past, present, and future. The paper supports its argument by conducting a wide-ranging survey of academic and popular accounts of the development of the atomic weapon in the US Manhattan Project. It reveals a dominant narrative across these accounts that contains three core tropes: the nuclear weapon as the inevitable and perfected culmination of humankind's tendency towards violence; the Manhattan Project as a race against time; and the nuclear weapon as a product of a fetishized masculine brilliance.

Navigating nuclear narratives in contemporary television: The BBC’s Vigil

“…Writing about the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Laura Considine identifies three nuclear narratives and their political implications. 84 In Vigil's presentation of disarmament as a hopeless cause, we see these same narratives reproduced in popular culture. First, the stalemate metaphor suggests a permanent nature that performs unseen political work that reinforces the status quo.…”

“…In the same way as the political narratives that are deeply embedded into the language of the NPT shape the boundaries of possible political debate, Vigil too constructs a narrative 'that justifies continually lowered expectations, that is status quo-oriented and that is unfavourable to initiatives based on a vision of the future' . 85 Ultimately, although Vigil does not nuclear weapons as inherently good, they are presented as unchangeable -discouraging a politicised public.…”

Environmental remediation as social archaeology: Excavating sites contaminated by early nuclear weapons activities in New York City, both literally and hermeneutically

“…Nuclear discourse buries environmental concerns under layers of abstruse justifications and a techno-scientific jargon that confuse and alienate the public (e.g. Brown, 2013;Considine, 2021;Gusterson, 1998).…”

“…Nuclear discourse buries environmental concerns under layers of abstruse justifications and a techno‐scientific jargon that confuse and alienate the public (e.g. Brown, 2013; Considine, 2021; Gusterson, 1998). But one of the key reasons for this mystification—the long‐lasting, pervasive health effects of ionising radiation—also offers a kind of tell.…”