The Configuration of Nuclear Landscapes: Ecological Consequences of the Soviet Nuclear Project and their (Suppressed) Reappraisal in Russia and Kazakhstan (1986–2024)

• Applicant: Dr. Olga Nikonova
• Subject Area: Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 577377778

The Soviet Union’s pursuit of nuclear modernity had an enormous impact not only on the natural environment but also on the human body. Concurrently, narratives and specific memory spaces emerged as discursively constructed stages of the Soviet atomic project. In this proposal, they are conceptualized as “nuclear landscapes.” Focusing on three radioactively contaminated zones—the former Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, the South Ural region (Kyshtym disaster), and the Totsk military testing ground—the project investigates how knowledge, memory, and official discourse regarding the consequences of Soviet nuclear modernity were communicated to the public, mediated through various channels, and simultaneously suppressed or normalized during the Perestroika era as well as in contemporary memory culture in Russia and Kazakhstan. Drawing on the work of Linda Nash and Rob Nixon, the study operates on the premise that contaminated ecosystems primarily manifest themselves in the human body. The interplay of political structures, economic conditions, and local cultural practices is conceptualized through the notion of “configuration.” By integrating environmental history, history of media and communication, and cultural history, the project examines how authoritarian regimes process traumatic experiences and traces their long-term political and social ramifications, particularly in the context of contemporary energy policy decisions. The study further addresses why Kazakhstan and Russia have not developed a sustained linkage between memory, national identity, and responsibility toward populations affected by radiation. By comparing memory practices from the Perestroika period to 2024 and focusing on under-researched regions, this study advances understanding of the nuclear legacy of Soviet modernity beyond the Chernobyl disaster. It further demonstrates how the insufficient engagement with this legacy can contribute to risky technopolitical decisions in the present. For Russia, a substantial body of material is already available through completed archival research and identified digital sources; the relevant collections from Kazakhstan are equally documented but still require systematic analysis. The principal researcher of this project maintains extensive networks with internationally leading historical experts in the field.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Norway, USA
• Cooperation Partners: Professorin Dr. Susanne Bauer; Professorin Dr. Kate Brown; Dr. Magdalena Stawkowski
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Dietrich Beyrau; Professor Dr. Klaus Gestwa; Professor Dr. Jens-Peter Müller; Dr. Alexa von Winning