2.2 Socio-Technical Controversy
Socio-technical controversy refers to a public debate in which opposing arguments
are used to interpret an object or a particular technical system. This debate is not
limited to a community of specialists—unlike, for example, scientific controversy
[14]—and involves heterogeneous actors who introduce technical and
non-technical (economic, social, health, moral, etc.) arguments.
2 The development
of nuclear energy in France was uncontroversial until the late 1960s, when the
anti-nuclear movement emerged. The initial phase (1970–1974) established the
founding ideas [16]. Environmental activists, who emerged from the events of May
1968, accused the nuclear sector of shifting society towards a technical and
authoritarian model. They proposed the establishment of an alternative, decentralized libertarian and autonomous society and carried out a diverse range of actions:
demonstrations, boycotts, site occupations, petitions, etc.
The movement expanded to a national level in its second phase. This began in
1974 with the announcement of the Messmer Plan.
3 Protestors rejected this massive
nuclearization of France. The nuclear program, in addition to threatening the
environment and human health, was accused of strengthening capitalism, the
technocracy and state authoritarianism. The attitudes of militants hardened: there
were bomb attacks, clashes with police (for example, Creys-Malville in 1977), and
acts of sabotage. Faced with mounting opposition, pro-nuclear supporters took
action and the state-owned power company EDF launched an information campaign
to reassure the public, who remained largely in favor of nuclear energy. The fact
that the accident at Three Mile Island (in March 1979) had little effect on public
opinion confirmed the relative acceptance of nuclear power in France, and the
suffocation of the protest movement.
The Chernobyl accident, however, marked a break and initiated a period of
controversy. Although there were very few antinuclear demonstrations in France,
the reassurances issued by the authorities, coupled with a lack of information and
preventive measures, led to a change in how things were done. Research into
alternative solutions expanded and there was a massive increase in the number of
alerts. In return, industry actors changed their message and attempted to make
nuclear power less opaque and more democratic.
New groups appeared in the 1990s (although not at the same level as in the
1970s), while the debate was revived by the Fukushima accident in 2011. The
media questioned the safety of French installations, waste management, the profitability of the sector, the working conditions of subcontractors, and the feasibility
2
For some authors, controversy is different to institutional crisis. The first involves an audience
made up solely of peers, while the second involves a wider, non-specialized public. However, in
most cases, controversies “go beyond the circle of peers and engage social forces and individuals
who are located beyond the institutional scope in which they arose” [15].
3
Prime Minister Pierre Messmer announced, in March 1974, the expansion of the nuclear power
program, together with plans to build 13 nuclear plants in 2 years.
140
A. Portelli
Socio-technical controversy refers to a public debate in which opposing arguments
are used to interpret an object or a particular technical system. This debate is not
limited to a community of specialists—unlike, for example, scientific controversy
[14]—and involves heterogeneous actors who introduce technical and
non-technical (economic, social, health, moral, etc.) arguments.
2 The development
of nuclear energy in France was uncontroversial until the late 1960s, when the
anti-nuclear movement emerged. The initial phase (1970–1974) established the
founding ideas [16]. Environmental activists, who emerged from the events of May
1968, accused the nuclear sector of shifting society towards a technical and
authoritarian model. They proposed the establishment of an alternative, decentralized libertarian and autonomous society and carried out a diverse range of actions:
demonstrations, boycotts, site occupations, petitions, etc.
The movement expanded to a national level in its second phase. This began in
1974 with the announcement of the Messmer Plan.
3 Protestors rejected this massive
nuclearization of France. The nuclear program, in addition to threatening the
environment and human health, was accused of strengthening capitalism, the
technocracy and state authoritarianism. The attitudes of militants hardened: there
were bomb attacks, clashes with police (for example, Creys-Malville in 1977), and
acts of sabotage. Faced with mounting opposition, pro-nuclear supporters took
action and the state-owned power company EDF launched an information campaign
to reassure the public, who remained largely in favor of nuclear energy. The fact
that the accident at Three Mile Island (in March 1979) had little effect on public
opinion confirmed the relative acceptance of nuclear power in France, and the
suffocation of the protest movement.
The Chernobyl accident, however, marked a break and initiated a period of
controversy. Although there were very few antinuclear demonstrations in France,
the reassurances issued by the authorities, coupled with a lack of information and
preventive measures, led to a change in how things were done. Research into
alternative solutions expanded and there was a massive increase in the number of
alerts. In return, industry actors changed their message and attempted to make
nuclear power less opaque and more democratic.
New groups appeared in the 1990s (although not at the same level as in the
1970s), while the debate was revived by the Fukushima accident in 2011. The
media questioned the safety of French installations, waste management, the profitability of the sector, the working conditions of subcontractors, and the feasibility
2
For some authors, controversy is different to institutional crisis. The first involves an audience
made up solely of peers, while the second involves a wider, non-specialized public. However, in
most cases, controversies “go beyond the circle of peers and engage social forces and individuals
who are located beyond the institutional scope in which they arose” [15].
3
Prime Minister Pierre Messmer announced, in March 1974, the expansion of the nuclear power
program, together with plans to build 13 nuclear plants in 2 years.
140
A. Portelli