The Malthusian Moment
Global Population Growth and the Birth of American Environmentalism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5703607 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J Brooks Flippen (Southeastern Oklahoma State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 99 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1318-1318 |
| Publication date | 2013-03-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of American History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-8723 • E-ISSN: 1945-2314 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jahist/jas657 |
| OpenAlex | W2049722076 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
This is an ambitious book; its goal to explain the roots of environmentalism through the lens of concern for overpopulation. Proceeding chronologically from World War I to the present, Worcester Polytechnic Institute historian Thomas Robertson, a former student of William Cronon, crafts an excellent synthesis worthy of his mentor. Malthusian attitudes evolved from a milieu of factors such as science, culture, race, gender, economics, politics, and—perhaps most crucial to Robertson's interpretation—international relations. In fact, the real strength of Robertson's work is his consideration of the dynamism and complexity of attitudes toward overpopulation. As concern first grew, until its peak around 1970, a time of “odd consensus,” and then ebbed in more recent years, “attacked from both the left and right,” it was always full of “ambiguities and ambivalences” (p. 84). Robertson introduces Thomas Malthus (1766–1834) and his ideas at the outset and distinguishes between conservation-era fear for finite resources and what Robertson terms “environmental Malthusianism,” the broader and more recent ecological approach that drew from the web of intricate relationships that defined human society. As these relationships changed over the years, influenced not only by numerical growth but also by uneven technological advances, environmental Malthusianism evolved in different directions, always responding to world events. Environmental Malthusianism was never static, its proponents always debating the urgency of action and the path that needed to be taken. Some remained optimistic while others saw doom. Some placed faith in moderate actions while others had ideas that appeared draconian. From theorist to theorist, Robertson ties each strand into the context of the time. The fact that he is able to do this without losing readers in too much detail or oversimplifying the debates is impressive
Development economics · Economics · Environmental ethics · Environmentalism · Epistemology · Faith · Interpretation (philosophy · Overpopulation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Population · Population growth · Positive economics · Sociology · American Environmental and Regional History · Demography · History · Law · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2022 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |