Allan Schnaiberg
Encyclopedia
Allan Schnaiberg was an American sociologist known especially for his contributions to environmental sociology
. At the time of his death, Schnaiberg was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
.
on August 20, 1939, Schnaiberg was the son of Belle and Harry Schnaiberg. According to his curriculum vitae, he "Attended McGill University for four years, majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Mathematics. After graduating with distinction in general science, worked for one year as an analytic chemist, and two years as a metallurgical engineer." He received his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1968 from the University of Michigan
in Ann Arbor; his dissertation was entitled "Some determinants and consequences of modernism in Turkey". He became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He joined the sociology faculty at Northwestern University in 1969 and served as sociology department chairman from 1976-1979, receiving numerous honors and awards for his scholarship over the years. He retired from Northwestern in 2008 but remained actively engaged in his field.
Allan Schnaiberg was a brilliant and incisive critical analyst. He was the author of over 70 scholarly articles and books on topics ranging from globalization and the environment to labor and social inequality. His contribution to the sociological understanding of the relationship between social systems and ecosystems was groundbreaking, prescient, and enduring. Although he never accepted the designation of “environmental sociologist” he was a founder of the subfield, providing it with a deeply rigorous analytical foundation. His “Treadmill of Production” framework for understanding the social causes and consequences of environmental problems formed the first, and arguably still the most comprehensive and influential sociological approach to understanding environmental problems. His 1980 book, The Environment: From Surplus to Scarcity remains one of, if not the most important work in the field, and a necessary point of departure for any student of environmental sociology. His work was motivated by a deep and sincere concern for people’s quality of life. The body of work that he produced has remained central to intellectual debate in environmental sociology. Many of his earliest insights have come to be accepted as basic premises of socioenvironmental analysis, although they were far from such when he first theorized them, such as:
In addition to The Environment: From Surplus to Scarcity, Allan Schnaiberg co-authored four books with his former students: Environment and Society: The Enduring Conflict (St. Martin’s Press 1994; Blackburn Press 2000), Local Environmental Struggles: Citizen Activism in the Treadmill of Production (Cambridge University Press 1996), Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development (Princeton University Press 2000), and The Treadmill of Production: Injustice and Unsustainability in the Global Economy (Paradigm Publishers 2008).
, in 1984. A few years later, he was elected Chair-elect (1990-91), and then served as Chair (1992-93) of that Section.
Environmental sociology
Environmental sociology is typically defined as the sociological study of societal-environmental interactions, although this definition immediately presents the perhaps insolvable problem of separating human cultures from the rest of the environment...
. At the time of his death, Schnaiberg was Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
.
Early life and education
Born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
on August 20, 1939, Schnaiberg was the son of Belle and Harry Schnaiberg. According to his curriculum vitae, he "Attended McGill University for four years, majoring in Chemistry and minoring in Mathematics. After graduating with distinction in general science, worked for one year as an analytic chemist, and two years as a metallurgical engineer." He received his Ph.D. in Sociology in 1968 from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in Ann Arbor; his dissertation was entitled "Some determinants and consequences of modernism in Turkey". He became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He joined the sociology faculty at Northwestern University in 1969 and served as sociology department chairman from 1976-1979, receiving numerous honors and awards for his scholarship over the years. He retired from Northwestern in 2008 but remained actively engaged in his field.
Allan Schnaiberg was a brilliant and incisive critical analyst. He was the author of over 70 scholarly articles and books on topics ranging from globalization and the environment to labor and social inequality. His contribution to the sociological understanding of the relationship between social systems and ecosystems was groundbreaking, prescient, and enduring. Although he never accepted the designation of “environmental sociologist” he was a founder of the subfield, providing it with a deeply rigorous analytical foundation. His “Treadmill of Production” framework for understanding the social causes and consequences of environmental problems formed the first, and arguably still the most comprehensive and influential sociological approach to understanding environmental problems. His 1980 book, The Environment: From Surplus to Scarcity remains one of, if not the most important work in the field, and a necessary point of departure for any student of environmental sociology. His work was motivated by a deep and sincere concern for people’s quality of life. The body of work that he produced has remained central to intellectual debate in environmental sociology. Many of his earliest insights have come to be accepted as basic premises of socioenvironmental analysis, although they were far from such when he first theorized them, such as:
- The degradation of the environment, and the degradation of people are part of the same systemic process, and deeply interrelated.
- The costs of environmental problems are borne disproportionately by the poor and disenfranchised, and the benefits gained in creating those problems go disproportionately to the powerful and privileged.
- The causes of environmental problems are deeply structural, complex, and multifaceted, and not a result of single factors such as “overpopulation”, “runaway technology”, or “overconsumption”.
- A politically activated and mobilized citizenry is a necessary (if not sufficient) condition for environmental (and social) improvement.
In addition to The Environment: From Surplus to Scarcity, Allan Schnaiberg co-authored four books with his former students: Environment and Society: The Enduring Conflict (St. Martin’s Press 1994; Blackburn Press 2000), Local Environmental Struggles: Citizen Activism in the Treadmill of Production (Cambridge University Press 1996), Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development (Princeton University Press 2000), and The Treadmill of Production: Injustice and Unsustainability in the Global Economy (Paradigm Publishers 2008).
Honors and awards
Schnaiberg received the Distinguished Contribution Award of the Section on Environment and Technology, American Sociological AssociationAmerican Sociological Association
The American Sociological Association , founded in 1905 as the American Sociological Society , is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the discipline and profession of sociology by serving sociologists in their work and promoting their contributions to serve society.The ASA holds its...
, in 1984. A few years later, he was elected Chair-elect (1990-91), and then served as Chair (1992-93) of that Section.
Works
- Gould, Kenneth A., David N. Pellow, and Allan Schnaiberg. (2008) The Treadmill of Production: Injustice and Unsustainability in the Global Economy. Boulder, Colo.: Paradigm Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59451-506-4
- Gould, Kenneth A., Allan Schnaiberg, and Adam S. Weinberg. (1996) Local Environmental Struggles: Citizen Activism in the Treadmill of Production. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-55519-1
- Schnaiberg, Allan. (1980) The Environment: From Surplus to Scarcity. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-502610-1
- Schnaiberg, Allan, Nicholas Watts, and Klaus Zimmerman, eds. (1986) Distributional Conflicts in Environmental-Resource Policy. New York: St. Martin's Press. 0312213409
- Schnaiberg, Allan, and Kenneth A. Gould. (1994) Environment and Society: The Enduring Conflict. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-09128-1
- Weinberg, Adam S., David N. Pellow, and Allan Schnaiberg. (2000) Urban Recycling and the Search for Sustainable Community Development. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-05014-7
External links
- Schnaiberg Papers, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
- Section on Environment and Technology, American Sociological Association
- http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/wcidentities?url=%2ffind%3furl_ver%3dZ39.88-2004%26rft_val_fmt%3dinfo%3aofi%2ffmt%3akev%3amtx%3aidentity%26rft.namelast%3dSchnaiberg%26rft.namefirst%3dAllan.%26rft.nameinit%3dA%26rft.nameinit1%3dA%26rft.nameinitm%3d%26rft.namesuffix%3d%26rft.nametitle%3d%26rft.date%3d%26rft.name%3d%26rft.birthdate%3d%26rft.deathdate%3d%26rft.arn%3d%26rft.title%3dSome%2bdeterminants%2band%2bconsequences%2bof%2bmodernism%2bin%2bTurkey%2b%252F%26rft_id%3dinfo%3aoclcnum%2f12682463WorldCat: "Schnaiberg, Allan"]