Presented by: Evan Perreault The Billboard Campaign: The Los Alamos Study Group And the Nuclear Public Sphere Author: Joseph Masco

Currently an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University Chicago B.A. in Comparative History of Ideas from University of Washington in 1986 M.A./Ph.D. in Anthropology from University of California at San Diego in 1991 and 1999 respectively Held a professorship of Anthropology at the University of Oregon Joseph Masco THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

Background THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE New Mexico is home to: more than 2,500 nuclear warheads Two of the nation’s nuclear weapons laboratories World’s ONLY underground dump of radioactive bomb waste Ranks 43 rd in the US on income per capita Highest rate of working poor/least amount of benefits Most Americans have little/no knowledge of continued investments in WMD by the United States

The Los Alamos Study Group (LASG) A nonproliferation and peace activism group that was formed at the end of the Cold War Based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico Speak out against nuclear weapon consolidation Initiated many campaigns, including the Billboard Campaign THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

Aims THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE Masco’s: Make the “invisible” visible Nuclear Disarmament Environmental Protection Economic Sustainability Social Justice Los Alamos Study Group’s: Seek to change public policy and prevent implementation of bad policies. Promote public education on hazards of the nuclear complex

THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

Target Groups THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE General public of New Mexico Increase awareness of nuclear presence and dangers The tourist demographic Tell travelers the truth behind this “pristine” landscape Large catholic populations in Northern New Mexico Provoke conflicting moral situations on the topic of producing weapons of mass destruction

THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

From , the US has spent at least $5.8 trillion on nuclear weapons, making them the third largest expenditure after nonnuclear military and Social Security spending. In 2011, the US Government spent $964.8 billions dollars on National Defense efense_budget_2012_3.html Militarism in the US THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

Impacts New Mexico is part of a rural American economic space that relies on the Four P’s Plutonium Poker Prison Pigs Exposed the links between global and local economies Provoke consideration of the spheres that the nuclear project act within Further Research Compile data on political figureheads and elected representatives Evaluate public movements regarding the reallocation of federal expenditures within the Dept. of Energy Studies (surveys) that evaluate the knowledge of the general public in and out of New Mexico on the nuclear complex THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE

Conclusion THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE Complex nuclear weapons infrastructure Immense continued investment into nuclear research and development Rising militarism needs to be answered for New Mexico is “held hostage” by Washington The LASG has effectively turned a purely capitalist and quiet space into a space of political mobilization and citizen critique.

References THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE Masco, Joseph. "The Billboard Campaign: The Los Alamos Study Group and the Nuclear Public Sphere." Public Culture 17.3 (2005): Print. Los Alamos Study Group. "LASG Home Page." LASG Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov "Department of Anthropology." Joseph P. Masco. University of Chicago, Web. 11 Nov

Questions? THE BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN: THE LOS ALAMOS STUDY GROUP AND THE NUCLEAR PUBLIC SPHERE