Nuclear Legacies: Communication, Controversy, and the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Production Complex

Abstract

This chapter engages communication surrounding the history and future of U.S. nuclear weapons production. The authors begin by arguing that these phenomena are normalized, and thus neglected, among citizens and communication scholars, and respond by reviewing the history of the U.S. nuclear weapons production complex and by characterizing communication among its associated organizations and communities. They then examine the material and discursive legacies of this system, emphasizing recent changes that have opened new possibilities for communication between institutions and their stakeholders. The authors next develop three theoretical frames for analyzing communication in this dense and rapidly evolving scene: (a) democracy, participation, and the nuclear public sphere; (b) organizational crisis, change, and stakeholder communication; and (c) nuclear history, memory, and heritage. They conclude by identifying and addressing various challenges associated with adopting this research program. Throughout, the authors foreground and critique the role of communication in responding to the past and creating the future of nuclear weapons production.