History of the present, and environmental history: The Cesium-137 disaster contemporaneity (Goiania, more than 1987)

Abstract

In this article, we discuss encounter of 'contemporaneity' between Environmental History and History of the Present, through the history of the Cesium-137 Radioactive Disaster of Goiania, Brazil, 1987 as a starting point and arrival point. It allows us to read the status of the 'contemporary', what is the meaning of the term 'present' in Environmental History, and what is the meaning of the term 'contemporary time' in the History of the Present. The problematization of the naming and characterization practices of Goiania's technodesastre impelled us to read reports from written press, images and documentaries produced during the 30 years of permanence of the disaster in national memory, in comparison with scientific productions about the same period.