Political Economy, Militarization, and the Environment: A Historical Case Study of Agent Orange

• In Event: 508 - Section on Marxist Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Marxist Sociology Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. Environmental Crises and Resilience

Abstract

My proposed research project fits firmly within the nexus of political economy, militarization, and the environment. More specifically, within the established environmental sociology literature, I place my research as part of an effort to connect the Treadmill of Production and Treadmill of Destruction perspectives. Treadmill of Production highlights the environmental degradation that is built into economic development. The expansionary tendencies of the economy, along with technological development, create ecological problems such as pollution, waste, and other ecological disorganization (Schnaiberg 1980; Schnaiberg and Gould 1994). Treadmill of Destruction states that the military, while connected to the economy, has its own distinct expansionary tendencies that generate particular environmental consequences. Driven by geopolitical concerns, states utilize the military to increase its power, which, in part, increases the intensity, scale, and scope of environmental degradation (Tilly 1990; Hooks and Smith 2004, 2005).

Specifically my project intends to examine the historical economic and geopolitical context that surrounded the Vietnam War. More specifically, I intend to investigate the development, emergence, and use of Agent Orange during this era while highlighting its tremendous social and ecological consequences. The central research question of this research is: “How does the intersection of economy and militarization impact the environment?”

Author

• Daniel Noah Auerbach, University of Utah