Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Hiroshima in Egypt: interpretations and imaginations of the atomic age

Taha, Hebatalla LU (2022) In Third World Quarterly 43(6). p.1460-1477
Abstract
This article focuses on Egyptian interpretations of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US at the end of the Second World War. It surveys the reactions and responses of influential thinkers between 1945 and 1951, a crucial period prior to decolonisation. The objective of this research is to capture a specific moment in time and understand how it shaped imaginations of the future. The article argues that the bombings of Japan generated fantasies and anxieties about the postcolonial future. Intellectuals were enthusiastic about the possibilities of nuclear science and energy, but at the same time they engaged in nuanced and critical debates about the emergence of a nuclear-armed world, including its intertwinement with race... (More)
This article focuses on Egyptian interpretations of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US at the end of the Second World War. It surveys the reactions and responses of influential thinkers between 1945 and 1951, a crucial period prior to decolonisation. The objective of this research is to capture a specific moment in time and understand how it shaped imaginations of the future. The article argues that the bombings of Japan generated fantasies and anxieties about the postcolonial future. Intellectuals were enthusiastic about the possibilities of nuclear science and energy, but at the same time they engaged in nuanced and critical debates about the emergence of a nuclear-armed world, including its intertwinement with race and colonial power. In addition to exploring Egyptian thought on the nuclear condition, this historical analysis allows us to better understand Egyptian nuclear decision-making after independence. Revisiting this period, furthermore, illustrates the importance of imagined futures in shaping nuclear choices.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Third World Quarterly
volume
43
issue
6
pages
1460 - 1477
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:85129219030
ISSN
0143-6597
DOI
10.1080/01436597.2022.2059461
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
197d6463-5293-4151-b5d0-a7e1bec5dfc4
date added to LUP
2024-01-15 07:02:20
date last changed
2024-01-16 04:01:48
@article{197d6463-5293-4151-b5d0-a7e1bec5dfc4,
  abstract     = {{This article focuses on Egyptian interpretations of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US at the end of the Second World War. It surveys the reactions and responses of influential thinkers between 1945 and 1951, a crucial period prior to decolonisation. The objective of this research is to capture a specific moment in time and understand how it shaped imaginations of the future. The article argues that the bombings of Japan generated fantasies and anxieties about the postcolonial future. Intellectuals were enthusiastic about the possibilities of nuclear science and energy, but at the same time they engaged in nuanced and critical debates about the emergence of a nuclear-armed world, including its intertwinement with race and colonial power. In addition to exploring Egyptian thought on the nuclear condition, this historical analysis allows us to better understand Egyptian nuclear decision-making after independence. Revisiting this period, furthermore, illustrates the importance of imagined futures in shaping nuclear choices.<br/>}},
  author       = {{Taha, Hebatalla}},
  issn         = {{0143-6597}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{1460--1477}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Third World Quarterly}},
  title        = {{Hiroshima in Egypt: interpretations and imaginations of the atomic age}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2022.2059461}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/01436597.2022.2059461}},
  volume       = {{43}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}