Stephanie Malin and co-editor Becky Alexis-Martin (Manchester Metropolitan University) guest-edited The Extractive Industries and Society’s special issue on uranium and published the introductory essay “Assessing the state of uranium research: Environmental justice, health, and extraction.” 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • This introductory essay for the Special Issue on uranium highlights the state of the research and ways forward.
  • Global political-economic contexts, power dynamics, and health figure centrally in this overview.
  • Research related to environmental and social justice advancements and gaps are also highlighted.
  • Contributions from articles offered in this Special issue figure prominently.
  • Ways forward for researchers and practitioners are identified, through the lens of justice.

ABSTRACT

In this introductory essay for the Special Issue on Uranium, we provide an overview of the state of the research and ways forward for researchers and practitioners. We focus specifically on research and developments in: uranium and social justice, focusing on giving a brief historical overview; the global political-economic context; and environmental and social injustices related to uranium. We conclude with an overview of contributions to this discussion made by articles in the special issue and highlight ways forward for social scientists.