Doctoral Dissertation Research: Expert Knowledge of Nuclear Materials and the Development of Atomic Energy Agency Policies

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Under the supervision of Josephe Masco at the University of Chicago, Anna Weichselbraun will examine the International Atomic Energy Agency, the 'sole arbiter in the regulation of global nuclear technology,' in its production of legitimacy and communication of 'technical independence.' Making and performing technoscientific expertise lies at the heart of this independence and associated bureaucratic authority, and the research design carefully crafts its questions to probe those spheres of activity and their documentary trails. Through a 10-month ethnographic study at the International Atomic Energy Agency, a linguistic analysis of 150-200 documents including annual reports, safeguards statements, information circulars, general conference documents, and press releases, and interviews with members and interactional analysis of their consensus-building activities, the Co-PI will identify and document the processes whereby IAEA staff work to obtain internal techno-legal consensus and international political consensus among governing bodies like the UN and its member states.This project lies at the intersection of cultural anthropology and science and technology studies. This interdisciplinary research will produce a better understanding of the unique and powerful role the IAEA plays in international politics and policy and contribute a nuanced view into the nuclear industry and its regulation. The results will be disseminated to practitioner, policy, and academic audiences.