2019 HOTCUS Winter Symposium:
“Nuclear States”: Science, Technology, and American Society in the Atomic Age
University of Lincoln
February 16th 2019

Plenary Speaker: Dr Audra Wolfe University of Pennsylvania

In August 2017 President Donald Trump tweeted that if North Korea continued its path of missile development than it would be “met with fire and fury the likes of which the world has never seen”. This aggressive rhetoric, coupled with Trump’s subsequent withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear agreement, acted as a stark reminder for citizens of the United States and the world beyond of the continuing apocalyptic potential of nuclear technologies. Americans have lived with the shadows cast by the bomb on American politics, society and culture, alongside more affirmative visions of ‘free energy,’ ‘plowshares’, medical applications, and scientific advance for seventy years. As Trump’s fiery rhetoric revives Cold War concerns about nuclear doom, the time is ripe for historians to reassess the various ways in which the United States shaped and was shaped by the atomic age.  The purpose of this one-day symposium is to reflect upon the state of American nuclear history today, showcasing examples of the latest historical research whilst exploring future avenues of study.

Contact: Dr Tom Bishop, University of Lincoln: TBishop@lincoln.ac.uk