Abstract
The thesis’ point of departure is to recapture the co-production idiom within the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) when analyzing Iran’s nuclear energy development, especially their uranium enrichment technology, and its political dependency. First, the thesis presents an overview of Iran’s nuclear development, and further explains why the uranium enrichment technology in Iran has become a controversial topic in the international community. Further the thesis explains how nuclear technology in the West has regained a newfound optimism the last ten years, and how the West attempts at the same time to delegitimize and exclude this development in Iran. Thereafter the thesis describes why there was a need for a political structure for nuclear technology development, which was realized through the nuclear non-proliferation regime that have the aim of preventing nuclear weapon proliferation. The thesis describes both the Iranian view and the Western view on nuclear energy technology development. How has politics contributed to the idea that nuclear energy technology development is either “good” or “bad” depending on the country that develops it? The aim is to examine and describe both technological and political causes and effects of nuclear energy technology development.
Keywords: nuclear energy, Iran, nuclear enrichment, nuclear fuel cycle technology, technology and politics, Science and Technology Studies, co-production