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‘It Is a Tradition in the Nuclear Industry . . . Secrecy’: Political Opportunity Structures and Nuclear Knowledge Production in France

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  • Julie Schweitzer

    (Oklahoma State University, USA)

  • Tamara L Mix

    (Oklahoma State University, USA)

Abstract

Employing the example of France’s civil nuclear program, we connect political opportunity structures (POSs) to mechanisms of knowledge production, identifying how opposing stakeholders generate knowledge about a controversial technology. A history of nuclear dependence in France creates a context that praises, normalizes, and rationalizes nuclear energy while stigmatizing attempts to question or contest the nuclear industry’s dominant position. Integrating Bond’s knowledge-shaping process with Coy and colleagues’ concept of oppositional knowledge, we consider how the broader social, political, and economic context influences opposing stakeholder assessments of nuclear energy. Employing qualitative semi-structured interviews, we offer unique insight into the French nuclear debate, discussing the role of POS in shaping knowledge production.

Suggested Citation

  • Julie Schweitzer & Tamara L Mix, 2022. "‘It Is a Tradition in the Nuclear Industry . . . Secrecy’: Political Opportunity Structures and Nuclear Knowledge Production in France," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 27(2), pages 504-524, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:27:y:2022:i:2:p:504-524
    DOI: 10.1177/13607804211025052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Saliha Hadna, 2017. "The Nuclear Safety Authority in France: A Dogma of “Independence” and Institutional Fragility," Journal of Innovation Economics, De Boeck Université, vol. 0(1), pages 119-144.
    2. Yannick Barthe, 2009. "Framing nuclear waste as a political issue in France," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(7-8), pages 941-954, December.
    3. Subhabrata Bobby Banerjee & Annabel‐Mauve Bonnefous, 2011. "Stakeholder management and sustainability strategies in the French nuclear industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 124-140, February.
    4. Patrick G. Coy & Lynne M. Woehrle & Gregory M. Maney, 2008. "A Typology of Oppositional Knowledge: Democracy and the U.S. Peace Movement," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 13(4), pages 82-96, July.
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