The Sarcophagus and the City: Reflections on Chernobyl and the Dystopian Imagination
“Chernobyl” has become synonymous with the deathly dangers of radiation, a word evoking fear and horror that continues to color the meaning of the ruined remains at the center of the exploded reactor n° 4 in the so-called “Zone of Exclusion.” At the same time, over the past dozen years—until the w...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Université de Bourgogne
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Interfaces |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/interfaces/6605 |
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| Summary: | “Chernobyl” has become synonymous with the deathly dangers of radiation, a word evoking fear and horror that continues to color the meaning of the ruined remains at the center of the exploded reactor n° 4 in the so-called “Zone of Exclusion.” At the same time, over the past dozen years—until the war in Ukraine in 2022—the site has been a magnet attracting a steady stream of “dark tourism” and “stalkers” who want to get as close as possible to what they imagine Chernobyl represents. Using photographic representation and other visual media, along with historical sources, this article explores Chernobyl (the old Sarcophagus, the New Arch, and the ruins of Pripyat) as a composite cultural symbol embodying the contradictions of utopia and dystopia and as a monument to the failures of authoritarian epistemology. |
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| ISSN: | 2647-6754 |