A nova era nuclear : uma etnografia da retomada do programa nuclear brasileiro , ou uma crônica do futuro

Abstract

This thesis proposes the existence of a new nuclear era, distinct from the classical conception of the so-called “atomic age” of the 20th century — a time marked by the mastery of atomic knowledge and the development of nuclear energy, whether through the bomb or electricity generation. I argue that, within the current context of global energy transition, a new narrative surrounding nuclear energy has emerged, shaped by a certain dogmatism that positions it as the energy of the future. This belief is rooted in its low carbon emissions, a characteristic that grants it the status of “green energy” and, consequently, an “environmentally sustainable” solution. Grounded in an ethnographic approach, I examine the continuities and ruptures that characterize the nuclear field in Brazil, focusing on how structures of power are updated, repositioned, or reconfigured in the revival of the Brazilian nuclear program. I demonstrate that this process unfolds through negotiations, investments, and state institutionalization, while simultaneously appropriating an environmental discourse that projects a narrative about the future. Within this horizon, the nuclear program operates as a key axis of political consensus-building, capable of bringing together diverse ideological spectrums around long-term strategic goals. This convergence reaffirms historical aspirations for power, sovereignty, and national prestige, while also updating and reinforcing patterns of violence and environmental injustice. The persistence of projects imposed without the consultation or consent of affected communities, as well as the disproportionate concentration of environmental harm on vulnerable populations, reveals the continuity of an exclusionary developmental model. Through an ethnography of the resurgence of Brazil’s nuclear program, this thesis reveals that beneath the narrative of a new nuclear era — peaceful, green, and sustainable — lies an enduring itinerary of environmental conflicts that challenges the idealized promises of modernization, equity, and justice associated with this energy matrix.