"There is a nuclear ghost in Minamisōma." This is how one resident describes a mysterious experience following the 2011 nuclear fallout in coastal Fukushima. Investigating the nuclear ghost among the graying population, Ryo Morimoto encounters radiation’s shapeshifting effects. What happens if state authorities, scientific experts, and the public disagree about the extent and nature of the harm caused by the accident? In one of the first in-depth ethnographic accounts of coastal Fukushima written in English, Nuclear Ghost tells the stories of a diverse group of residents who aspire to live and die well in their now irradiated homes. Their determination to recover their land, cultures, and histories for future generations provides a compelling case study for reimagining relationality and accountability in the ever-atomizing world.
Ryo Morimoto is a first-generation college student and scholar from Japan and Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University. His scholarly work addresses the planetary impacts of our past and present engagements with nuclear things.
"Nuclear ghosts dwell among the enlightened elders of Minamisōma— as the afterlife of atomic power, as the decay of disaster, as the half life of sociality, and as the dogged persistence of hope. An ethnographer of rare perception, Morimoto sees it all. This exceptional book renders this community’s experiences with sterling insight and tender clarity. An unforgettable, indispensable debut." —Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor, Institute for Advanced Study
"Ryo Morimoto’s unparalleled, compassionate gaze in Nuclear Ghost brings us deep into the liminal zone of evacuated, post-cataclysm Minamisōma. Ghosts are many—unseen radioactivity, lost friends and livelihood, stigma—haunting citizens striving to live beyond victimhood. Morimoto vividly captures their lifeworld. To understand post-disaster Fukushima, you must read this book."—Peter Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor, Harvard University
"Ryo Morimoto applies an Indigenous studies perspective in this brilliant, must-read work about disaster’s consequences. Insightfully illuminating how science dehumanizes survivors, he masterfully dignifies Fukushima’s residents as they navigate uncertainty and bravely rebuild their lives."—Valerie Lambert, Choctaw Nation, author of Native Agency: Indians in the Bureau of Indian Affairs
356 pp.6 x 9Illus: 19 b/w illustrations, 5 maps, 1 Table
9780520394100$95.00|£80.00Hardcover
Apr 2023