Nuclear Training in Cold War Geopolitics by Barbara Hof
In the first two decades of the Cold War, few areas of technoscience were more salient than nuclear research. The international demand for knowledge in this area was deemed foundational, transferable to other scientific pursuits, and strategically vital. To meet that demand, national laboratories in the United States (US) built ambitious training programs and opened their doors to specialists from abroad. European states in particular benefited. Seizing the opportunity, they sent trainees to the US, subsequently integrating nuclear training into their own educational traditions. The result was a transatlantic synergy that strengthened Western alliances while safeguarding national interests. Nuclear training had become an integral part of Cold War geopolitics. International affairs are typically studied through the decisions of governments. Nuclear Training in Cold War Geopolitics offers a novel perspective by shifting attention from diplomacy to laboratories and the social practices of exchange. Barbara Hof draws on sources from multiple countries to trace the interplay of technoscience, education, and diplomacy across the Atlantic, exposing what counted as relevant knowledge and who was permitted to acquire it. Nuclear training was not solely a mechanism for multiplying knowledge; laboratories functioned as diplomatic actors, exercising soft power that shaped careers, institutions, and international alignments for decades. This story connects to the forging of the knowledge society under Cold War imperatives and continues to shape international affairs in our time.
Barbara Hof, PhD completed her doctorate at the University of Zurich in 2021. She subsequently held a postdoctoral position at the University of Lausanne and served as a guest lecturer at Leuphana University Lüneburg. She is currently affiliated with Charles University in Prague. Her research, recognized with two international early-career prizes, lies at the intersection of the history of science, technology, and media, with a focus on the international circulation of knowledge.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780197918999 |
| ISBN 10 | 0197918999 |
| Title | Nuclear Training in Cold War Geopolitics |
| Author | Barbara Hof |
| Series | Science And Technology In International Affairs |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Number of pages | 208 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |