New Books Network Jessica Urwin, "Contaminated Country: Nuclear Colonialism and Aboriginal Resistance in Australia" (U of Washington Press, 2025)
Sep 9, 2025
Jessica Urwin, an environmental historian, discusses her groundbreaking book on Australia's nuclear colonialism and its impact on Aboriginal communities. She reveals how Australia became a site of imperial exploitation through uranium extraction and nuclear testing. Urwin highlights the resilience of Indigenous peoples, who have consistently resisted these injustices and reclaimed their rights. The podcast delves into the legacy of these actions, the complexities of activism, and the deeper environmental and cultural harms caused by nuclear processes in Australia.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Early Nuclear Colonialism Roots
- Nuclear colonialism in Australia began before WWII with radium prospecting that brought settlers into Indigenous lands.
- Early mineral fever linked scientific optimism to settler expansion and dispossession of Aboriginal country.
Desert Testing And 'Wastelanding'
- Britain conducted major and many contaminating minor nuclear tests on Australian deserts during the 1940s–1950s.
- Tests used remote deserts viewed as 'wastelands' despite Indigenous presence and cultural significance.
Colonial Controls Enabled Testing
- Australian authorities used pre-existing colonial controls to manipulate Aboriginal mobility during testing.
- Mechanisms like reserves, native patrol officers, and missions were repurposed to keep people off test sites.
