IFRIS conference to showcase humanities, social science insights regarding nuclear

Between reactor restarts, a hoped-for tripling of nuclear energy by 2050, and advances in permanent solutions for radioactive waste disposal, the time is ripe for a close yet holistic look at the state of the nuclear industry. The present is informed by both future hopes and the inherited past-that is a key point in the upcoming workshop "Nuclear Revival and Legacies: Insights from Humanities and Social Science," to be held October 21-22 in Champs-sur-Marne on the outskirts of Paris, France.

The conference is being hosted by IFRIS-the Institute for Research and Innovation in Society-a French consortium interested in interactions between science, technology, and society.

Future thought: Even as nuclear energy appears poised for a revival, there exist numerous uncertainties, including aging infrastructure, waste management, economic viability, and the burgeoning renewable energy sector.

And so, "What happens when the nuclear industry is simultaneously faced with issues of decline and renewal?" the conference organizers ask. The workshop aims to "bring together social science and humanities perspectives on nuclear issues in an unprecedented context," according to the call for proposals, which adds that "sociology, history, philosophy, anthropology, geography, political science, economy, and science and technology studies approaches can complement each other to provide new insights into developments in this sector."

About: The two-day program features a pair of keynote addresses as well as six sessions bookended by introductory and concluding remarks. The sessions have thought-provoking titles such as "Nuclear Promises," "Decaying Infrastructures and Decommissioning," "Contaminated Legacies," and "Nuclear Trajectories and Narratives"; three to four speakers per session will present their research.

According to IFRIS, the humanitiesand social sciences can provide tools for understanding the present resurgence of interest in nuclear energy through analysis rooted in different disciplines. For more information, visit the Nuclear Revival and Legacies conference website.