Radiation brain moms and citizen scientists : the gender politics of food contamination after the Fukushima

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 2011 many concerned citizens—particularly mothers—were unconvinced by the Japanese government’s assurances that the country’s food supply was safe. They took matters into their own hands, collecting their own scientific data that revealed radiation-contaminated food. In Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists Aya Hirata Kimura shows how, instead of being praised for their concern about their communities’ health and safety, they faced stiff social sanctions, which dismissed their results by attributing them to the work of irrational and rumor-spreading women who lacked scientific knowledge. These citizen scientists were unsuccessful at gaining political traction, as they were constrained by neoliberal and traditional gender ideologies that dictated how private citizens—especially women—should act. By highlighting the challenges these citizen scientists faced, Kimura provides insights into the complicated relationship between science, foodways, gender, and politics in post-Fukushima Japan and beyond. Aya Hirata Kimura is Associate Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and the author of Hidden Hunger: Gender and Politics of Smarter Foods. Following The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Disaster In 2011 Many Concerned Citizens—particularly Mothers—were Unconvinced By The Japanese Government's Assurances That The Country's Food Supply Was Safe. They Took Matters Into Their Own Hands, Collecting Their Own Scientific Data That Revealed Radiation-contaminated Food. In Radiation Brain Moms And Citizen Scientists Aya Hirata Kimura Shows How, Instead Of Being Praised For Their Concern About Their Communities' Health And Safety, They Faced Stiff Social Sanctions, Which Dismissed Their Results By Attributing Them To The Work Of Irrational And Rumor-spreading Women Who Lacked Scientific Knowledge. These Citizen Scientists Were Unsuccessful At Gaining Political Traction, As They Were Constrained By Neoliberal And Traditional Gender Ideologies That Dictated How Private Citizens—especially Women—should Act. By Highlighting The Challenges These Citizen Scientists Faced, Kimura Provides Insights Into The Complicated Relationship Between Science, Foodways, Gender, And Politics In Post-fukushima Japan And Beyond. Moms With Radiation Brain : Gendered Food Policing In The Name Of Science -- Engineering Citizens -- School Lunches: Science, Motherhood, And Joshi Power -- Citizen Radiation-measuring Organizations -- The Temporality Of Contaminants. Aya Hirata Kimura. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 173-199) And Index. Aya Hirata Kimura traces the experiences of citizen scientists—particularly mothers—who after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster collected scientific data that revealed radiation-contaminated food, showing how the Japanese government used neoliberal and traditional gender ideologies to discount and socially sanction these women and their findings.