From Chernobyl to Gezi Park, Nationalism and Environmental Movements Just Don’t Mix

The mass movements in Ukraine and Turkey saw the convergence of environmentalism and nationalism, from catalyzing national identity to being overshadowed by narratives of political and social destiny.

by Colleen Wood

After an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine in April 1986, a plume of highly radioactive material shot high into the sky and spread across the western territories of the Soviet Union and Europe. For several days, Soviet leadership stayed silent about the explosion.

In the midst of this silence, Ukrainians un…