NUCLEAR BERKELEY, NUCLEAR WORLD
Nuclear Berkeley, Nuclear World is an attempt to look at the intersections of the San Francisco Bay Area with the history of nuclear technology in the world at large. In particular it aims to explore the ways in which a global history of nuclear technology and nuclear science intersects with the local history of Berkeley, California. It is, in this sense, an attempt to tell two stories at once: the unique story about Berkeley's role in the nuclear age, and a more general story about the nuclear age itself.
There is no one narrative of the nuclear age, though, and no one set of themes and topics which can be addressed. In attempting to get outside of the conventions of linear narrative history, this site has attempted to present its story in a very different way.
This site is structured as a collection of themes, topics, things, and conflicts which emerge as spokes heading out from the common core idea that there is a deep connection between a nuclear Berkeley and a nuclear world. Along each spoke are a series of pages ("nodes") exploring different aspects, different examples, temporal development, or something else. There is no emphasis on comprehensiveness, and there is no emphasis on absolute linearity, though a semi-linear structure (in terms of the nodes) is provided for ease of use. order them into homogeneous groups.
Rather than attempting to be comprehensive, or to provide reference material, this site attempts to provoke thoughtful analysis by means of a co-presence and juxtaposition of different ways of thinking of "Nuclear Berkeley," as well as different narratives. The reader is encouraged to pursue topics they find interesting, or to skip around as they see fit. The ultimate goal is to provoke a deeper idea about the ways in which the "Nuclear World" is connected, read through the lens of the local "Nuclear Berkeley."
About the site
This site was created by Cathryn Carson, funded by a National Science Foundation grant. Much of the web work and current content was created by Alex Wellerstein. Inquiries should be directed to the e-mail addresses at those pages.