The Oceanic Reach of Militarism: The Treadmill of Destruction and Marine Sociology

• In Event: 1483 - Open Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 11. Ecological Crisis and Environmental Justice

Abstract

Environmental sociologists have begun to focus more attention on the relationship between militarism and the environment. Within this work, sociologists have noted how the military, as a social institution, is made up of extensive social networks and built infrastructure, which requires numerous environmental withdrawals to maintain its general operations while also generating a variety of pollutants to the earth. The treadmill of destruction framework examines how environmentally hazardous and toxic waste pollution is connected to the growth dynamics of militarization; a process distinct from, yet, in relation to, political economic ones. Much of the work within the treadmill of destruction perspective has focused on environmental impacts on the land. However, the reach of the military has long involved the world's oceans. At the same time, recent efforts within sociology have focused on humanity's relationship with the ocean. The emergence of marine sociology has illuminated how essential marine ecosystems are to maintaining the conditions of life on this earth and how anthropogenic forces are influencing oceanic systems. Most work within "marine sociology" has centered on political economic processes. In this paper, we make several contributions. We extend treadmill of destruction analysis beyond terrestrial relationships to consider its influence on marine systems. We broaden scholarship on marine sociology by considering another important driver of environmental change, which has not been explicitly engaged within sociology.

Authors

• Daniel Noah Auerbach, University of Utah

• Brett Clark, University of Utah

• Stefano B. Longo, North Carolina State University