MEDIA NARRATIVES ABOUT THE «NEW» CATASTROPHE: A CASE-STUDY OF THE FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI NUCLEAR POWER STATION BREAKDOWN

Abstract

In the article, a sociological analysis of the narratives of «new» catastrophism is presented, based on the example of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant on March 11, 2011 in Japan. The content-analysis of the headlines of the Japanese (in English), American, British, French, German, and Russian media has shown a varying scene. Apocalyptic narrative was found in British tabloids; the “human story” was revealed in the narratives of the «abandoned» people and the Fukushima Fifty. In conclusion, all the narratives presented are compared, it is also shown how they affect the social construction of a «new» catastrophe. The cascading and international character of the disaster is demonstrated to be constructing the complexity of its narratives.

Keywords

• mediated narrative
• neocatastrophism
• content-analysis
• fukushima-1 nuclear power plant breakdown
• sociology of disaster
• environmental sociology