Radioactive Masculinity: How the Anxious Postcolonial Learnt to Love and Live in Fear of the Nuclear Bomb
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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2016 Radioactive masculinity: How the anxious postcolonial learnt to love and live in fear of the nuclear bomb Dibyadyuti Roy Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Roy, Dibyadyuti, "Radioactive masculinity: How the anxious postcolonial learnt to love and live in fear of the nuclear bomb" (2016). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 6536. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/6536 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. 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RADIOACTIVE MASCULINITY: HOW THE ANXIOUS POSTCOLONIAL LEARNT TO LOVE AND LIVE IN FEAR OF THE NUCLEAR BOMB Dibyadyuti Roy Dissertation submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Literature Ryan Claycomb, Ph.D., Chair Dennis Allen, Ph.D. Charles Baldwin, Ph.D. Brian Ballentine, Ph.D. Patrick Sharp, Ph.D. Department of English Morgantown, West Virginia 2016 Keywords: Radioactive, Postcolonial, Nuclear Bomb, Masculinity, Gender, Post- Apocalyptic Copyright 2016 Dibyadyuti Roy ABSTRACT RADIOACTIVE MASCULINITY: HOW THE ANXIOUS POSTCOLONIAL LEARNT TO LOVE AND LIVE IN FEAR OF THE NUCLEAR BOMB Dibyadyuti Roy Radioactive Masculinity explores how the Cold War legacy, of nuclear weapons finding resonance in images of white maleness and masculinity, results in anxious hypermasculine performances. These discursive and physical masculine acts contingent on the symbolic and material power of nuclear weapons, I argue, represent radioactive masculinity, a form of hegemonic militarized masculinity, which is intrinsically linked to the concept of nationhood and sovereignty. This idealized masculinity is fluid and cannot be tangibly or materially realized, much like the constantly decaying radioactive bomb on which it is modeled. Through analyzing a wide range of artifacts from America and India, I show that the anxieties of radioactive masculinity produce belligerent masculine performances, which are always volatile and unsuccessful. While existent scholarship has examined the gendered nature of nuclear technology, the cultural effect of unexploded nuclear weapons has been seldom researched. My project remedies this gap by locating physical and cultural sites in America and India, where the materiality of the bomb is made visible through its associations with male corporeality. This relationship, I argue, is indispensable toward understanding both the continued legacy of the Cold War within the Indian subcontinent, as well as its effects on postcolonial subjectivities. The dissertation begins with an introductory chapter that chronicles the rise of radioactive masculinity within the American military-industrial complex. Here, I analyze official US government documents and related materials, which perform the equation of the bomb to the hardened white male body. I show that while nuclear technology is not inherently gendered, both the bomb and its production spaces were pre-discursively masculinized in order to counter dual insecurities: of post-Depression era American emasculation and a hypermasculine Nazi Germany. Next, I bring in a comparison to Indian governmental documents to further describe how the transference of American radioactive masculinity into postcolonial spaces creates postcolonial nuclear borderlands, which are co-extensive with all nuclear postcolonial spaces everywhere. Chapter 2 examines the formation of a (pseudo) nuclear public sphere in America— resulting from the crisis in official publicity about the bomb—in the period following the cessation of above ground testing. By juxtaposing canonical Anglo-American nuclear disaster fiction with postcolonial speculative fiction, Chapters 3 and 4 emphasize that the structures of radioactive masculinity are fluid and not bound to specific spatio-temporal contexts. In Chapter 5, a comparative analysis of Leslie Silko’s Ceremony with postcolonial Indian texts from the eco-conservationist Bishnoi community demonstrate how tactical storytelling challenges the strategic structures of radioactive colonization. My dissertation concludes with an examination of minority anti-nuclear cultural productions, which by challenging the ideology of nuclear nationalism implicit in radioactive masculinity, deconstructs dominant Anglo-American nuclear historiography. By challenging the symbiotic relationship between radioactive masculinity and nuclear nationalism these texts initiate Nucliteracy—a dynamic multimodal form of literacy— that interrogates dominant and official publicity/secrecy about the bomb. iii DEDICATION I dedicate this work to the hibakusha—“explosion-affected [Japanese] people”—who survived the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. The problematic and troubling legacy of nuclear weapons etched, quite literally, into their bodies inspired me to pursue this project. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Giving thanks for abundance is sweeter than the abundance itself... Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude. For my committee. Their patience, their guidance, their support, their intellect and most importantly their encouragement helped me formulate, facilitate and finish this dissertation. For Dr. Sandy Baldwin and Dr. Ryan Claycomb. Beyond their roles as my dissertation directors, intellectual advisors, and invested guides, I am truly fortunate to have known them personally. Dr. Baldwin, without whom this dissertation would not have been possible. If I am able to imbibe a small percentage of his intellectual brilliance, his keen insights and above all his generosity as a person, I will consider myself a successful person. Dr. Claycomb was assigned as my mentor for the first year of graduate school, a role that he has unfailingly performed for the next five years as well. I hope I am able to keep learning more from this fantastic scholar, brilliant teacher and fabulous person for at least another five decades. For Dr. Dennis Allen, from whom I have learned that no problem is really that problematic: be it academia or life. He has an amazing capability of challenging your ideas and reformulating them, to make them far smarter than you had originally envisioned. Also, I have rarely seen a more charismatic classroom presence and I have duly copied all of his pedagogical strategies in my own courses. For Dr. Brian Ballentine, who always indulged my sudden unscheduled visits to his office. For taking time off his extremely busy schedule, to patiently answer my queries, address my concerns and for providing unflinching support. For Dr. Sharp, who was there through lengthy Skype chats, anytime that I needed to consult him. His scholarship and advice not only shaped the framework for this project but also my career goals. For my friends, Prithish and Broti, whose warmth and love sustained me in Morgantown. For my advisors and teachers at the University of Glasgow and Presidency College, who introduced me to the rigors of research and academic scholarship. For my father, Pinaki Roy, a finance professional by trade and a litterateur by choice. Without his constant encouragement and the abridged versions of literary classics that he so diligently bought for me in middle school, I would not have pursued a career in this field. For my sister, Dibyangana Roy (Bunu). You provided the healthy dose of disconnect required from graduate school and from generally being an adult. v Finally, for the two women who have shaped my being and existence. My mother, Dr. Indrani Roy, who completed her PhD in 2005, the same year that I enrolled in college—while working a full-time job, managing two kids and complete house-hold responsibilities. Her patience, determination, and resilience remind me every day that if you decide to touch the moon, it is only a rocket ship away. My wife, partner, co-academic and best friend, Madhurima Das. On good days, her realism, pragmatism and unconditional support keep me grounded, focused and stable. On the not-so- good days her laughter, positivity and unconditional love help me remember what matters in the end. Thank you again. vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Signing a Petition in support of Indian Nuclearization ............................................ 4 Figure 2: In Pakistan, people offer prayers in front of the Shaheen ........................................ 4 Figure 3: Idle Hands.................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 4: Man the Guns (1942) .................................................................................................. 30 Figure 5: WW-II Propaganda Poster ........................................................................................ 31 Figure 6: Learn How