ABSTRACT
Close by the River Elbe, about 130km upstream from Hamburg in the region known as the Wendland, is the small village of Gorleben. It appears an unremarkable, tranquil north German village of sturdy houses, well-paved, clean streets with a few shops and a sports complex. It is surrounded by the well-kept arable farmland and the forest and heath which are typical of this part of the north German Plain. Yet, the name Gorleben is synonymous with the most vigorous, sustained and unyielding anti-nuclear protest experienced anywhere. This obscure region has been at the very heart of the conflict over the future of the nuclear industry in Germany. As Pascale Hugues, a French commentator put it, ‘La menace n’est pas crédible dans cette idylle pastorale’ (1998, p.91).
