Democracy in the Shadows: Citizen Mobilization in the Wake of the Accident at Three Mile Island

by Edward J. Walsh

Overview

This book covers in depth the widespread and prolonged political struggle surrounding the Three Mile Island nuclear accident of 1979. Walsh documents the dynamics of the conflict between local communities and national nuclear elites in the wake of the worst nuclear power disaster to occur in the United States to date. How citizens living in the shadows of the Three Mile Island cooling towers have made their voices heard—particularly in their efforts to prevent the restart of Unit 1—is thoroughly analyzed. Extensive fieldwork over a period of six years, systematic survey data from activists and sympathizers, interviews with industry defenders, and reports of the accident reflecting both sides of the issues all were used to create this important book.

In a preface that discusses Three Mile Island within the context of the Chernobyl nuclear accident in the U.S.S.R., Walsh provides a thoughtful perspective on the complex relationships between democracy, technology, and social movements. A historical overview of the nuclear power industry provides a framework for the analysis. Walsh addresses the accident and evacuation, early community mobilization, the formation of coalitions, targets of protest, the final court appeals, life in the shadows, and theoretical implications. Democracy in the Shadows is indispensable for students of sociology and political science, as well as community activists and others with significant interest in nuclear power issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313260636
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/05/1988
Series:	Controversies in Science , #72
Pages:	241
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

EDWARD J. WALSH, Associate Professor of Sociology at Pennsylvania State University, is the author of Dirty Work, Race and Self-Esteem.

Table of Contents

Democracy, Technology, and Social Movement Theory
A History of the Nuclear Power Industry
Accident and Evacuation
The Returban and Preparation for Protest
Phase I: Mobilization and Initial Confrontations
Phase II: Coalition Formation and the Restart Hearings
Phase III: Emergent Target Vulnerabilities
Phase IV: Protests and Appeals
Theory and Life in the Shadows