Medicalisation and Postmemory: The Case of Nuclear Power Plant Accidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69139/4pb63e85Keywords:
medicalisation, postmemory, Chernobyl, Fukushima, nuclear energy, radionuclides, risk perceptionAbstract
Background: The process of medicalisation is an increasingly common phenomenon, consisting of the interpretation of social life phenomena in medical terms.
The aim of this study was to present the relationship between medicalisation and postmemory in the context of nuclear power plant accidents in Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011.
Material and methods: A thematic analysis of cross-disciplinary academic literature and educational resources was conducted, with sources selected to provide a representative overview of both the radiological data and the sociological shifts in public perception over nuclear disasters.
The study focused on the influence of narratives about these events on the perception of their health consequences and on the formation of postmemory among individuals without direct involvement in the disasters.
Results: The results indicate that the social perception of risks associated with nuclear energy is shaped by social and cultural discourse and memory transmission, rather than solely by medical evidence.
Conclusion: The medicalisation of the consequences of nuclear disasters contributes to the persistence of a negative image of nuclear energy in society.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Katarzyna Ochman, Miłosz Korbaś, Kamil Szemik (Author)
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