The Irradiated Body: Variations of the Feminine in the Post-Atomic Era

Abstract

This study investigates the female body and its symbolic deconstruction that occurred following the double atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) as well as the more recent nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant (2011). By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, this research explores the legacy of the ryōsai kenbo (‘good wife, wise mother’) model and how radioactivity exposure disrupted that ideal by transforming radioactivity-contaminated women into ‘monsters’. Postfeminist theories on the ‘monstrous-feminine’ are implemented to read testimonies on radiophobia, starting from Hayashi Kyōko’s production, the case study of the Hiroshima Maidens and Sono Sion’s movie Land of Hope (2012). The aim is to prove how the radioactivity agency deconstructed the female body as a mere reproductive resource and encouraged an emergent vision of its reconstruction as a woman-individual, claiming her active participation as a social actor.

Keywords

• hibakusha
• postfeminist theories
• monstrous-feminine
• testimonial narrative