Mapping Nuclear Legacies is part of a broader project aimed at discerning the role that cities— their leaders, officials, and residents— play in shaping nuclear policy and security. 

Nuclear policy has long been discussed at the national and international level, the debate being led and dictated by a small group of security experts and state leaders. With the passage of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2021, attention to the risks posed by the development, maintenance, and potential use of nuclear weapons increased. But broader conversations about nuclear policy among city leaders, city officials, and citizens still receive less scholarly attention — a gap in the field which this project aims to fill. 

Cities have long been regarded as the primary targets of nuclear attack. As bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II and the continuous testing of bombs around the world have revealed to the world, it is civilians — in cities and everywhere else — who experience the most devastating consequences of nuclear weapons. In many cities across the U.S. and around the world, it is these legacies and direct experiences with nuclear weapons – their development, testing, and use – that uniquely position them to conceive of diverse and intersectional approaches to achieving nuclear disarmament. This makes city diplomacy a crucial locus in which pathways to a nuclear-free world are being explored and implemented. 

This project is a multi-year long study of the efficacy, potential, and limitations of city-level organizing and policy deliberation about nuclear disarmament. Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, it is led by Hirokazu Miyazaki, a cultural anthropologist and an experienced ethnographic investigator. Through a series of interviews and meetings with city leaders, city officials, and other citizens and local organizations engaged in nuclear weapons-related issues, Miyazaki has been studying the conversations being had at the city level about nuclear weapons, the different ways communities are approaching their policies aimed at disarmament, and how their unique legacies and experiences with nuclear weapons have shaped those approaches. By documenting and analyzing these city level conversations, Miyazaki will identify key concerns, issues, and perspectives, synthesizing them to develop “best practice” models of city-level engagement with national nuclear policy, which will inform our nation’s policymakers. 

WHO

This project is led by Hirokazu Miyazaki, PhD, the Kay Davis Professor and Professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University. The project is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Northwestern University. The project team includes Northwestern students whose perspectives will be featured on this website. We are also actively seeking collaboration with individuals and organizations interested in engaging local governments and citizens in conversations about nuclear policy.   

WHAT

This website contains: 

• A database of resolution texts to show you how different local governments are discussing and implementing policies aligned with nuclear disarmament
• Site-specific pages that illustrate select localities’ nuclear histories and legacies, as well as the ongoing work happening in support of nuclear disarmament. These pages contain:
  • historical context,
  • images, 
  • important events, 
  • the relevant resolution text and video (if applicable) supporting nuclear disarmament, accompanied by public meeting notes, and 
  • links to relevant work happening in the area. 
• Blogs and other short form content exploring a specific topic related to nuclear legacies. 

WHEN

Research for this project began in October 2023. 

WHERE

This project focuses on the U.S. However, since the U.S.’s nuclear weapons development has, and continues to impact Native American tribal lands and communities, the Marshall Islands, and other Pacific nations, this project extends beyond just the U.S.  

Why

This project analyzes the role of cities in the politics of nuclear weapons. It takes a broad approach to nuclear policy, exploring how different U.S. communities and local governments have approached issues of nuclear weapons. Taking this wide lens shows how interconnected local choices and actions are with federal nuclear policy. It also showcases how nuclear weapons development is an intersectional issue with real environmental, public health, social justice, and economic consequences. This project draws on local and state resolutions aimed at advancing nuclear disarmament and nuclear justice, as well as historical materials and news coverage of grassroots organizers, advocacy groups, and nonprofits. Using these sources, this project seeks to highlight how nuclear weapons development is a localized issue that warrants dialogue and action across the U.S.