A Visitor Centre for the Next Nuclear Disaster

Abstract

This article examines sites of nuclear history tourism focusing on museums, monuments, nature parks and visitor centres in the United States. Drawing from the author's first-hand observations of sites in Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Las Vegas, New Mexico and Dayton as part of research carried out from 2010 to 2013 (a period that included the Fukushima nuclear disaster), the article analyzes how these sites convey Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear history and what intentional and unintentional messages they convey as site-specific history. It highlights the conflicts inherent in efforts to establish a pro-nuclear narrative in the context of nuclear disasters, particularly where the environmental and health effects persist on-site or nearby. The research indicates that as these sites document what some call ‘nuclear heritage’, they also craft a touristic experience meant to assuage nuclear fears and encourage a pronuclear outlook. From the perspective of tourist, spectator, and citizen, the author pursues a critical response to nuclear tourism.