Antinuclear Movements in Latin America: Opposing Nuclear Power in Argentinean Patagonia

Abstract

This article aims to advance in the exploratory study of resistance to nuclear technology in Latin America. It describes and analyzes protests against the construction of a nuclear power reactor in the Patagonian province of Río Negro, Argentina. The methodological framework is qualitative, addressing the study of a representative case and integrating contributions from the social studies of science and technology and social movements. The article identifies actors, arguments, and repertoires of collective action in contentious episodes, as well as consequences and results of resistance related to technological processes and collective claim-making. Risk perception and disputes over the environmental justice framework are highlighted, along with several impacts, such as the cancellation of the project, the promulgation of antinuclear legislation, and the formation of the Antinuclear Movement of the Argentine Republic.