The Treadmill of Production

Abstract

The work of Pellow, Gould, Schnaiberg, and Weinberg (particularly Schnaiberg’s The Environment and his notion of the treadmill of production) became one of the most influential strands of North American environmental sociology during the late 1970s and early 1980s for a number of reasons. It is fair to say, however, that the treadmill of production is not as predominant in environmental sociology in the early 21st century as it was two decades ago. Some of the reasons for this are unfortunate products of our time—for example, the declining role of neo-Marxism in a scholarly community that must watch its back in an era of neoliberalism. In the final portion of this article, the author discusses some shortcomings of the treadmill framework that have led to its being less influential than formerly and lays out an agenda for further treadmill of production inquiry.

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