SSSP Division of Environment and Technology Summer 2017 Newsletter Newsletter Contents 1 Message from the Chair 4 Recent Publications 5 Brent K. Marshall Award Winner – Ian Carrillo 6 Proposed Resolution 7 Annual Meeting Registration Information 8 Accessibility Guidelines 9 Division Sponsored Sessions 10 Annual Meeting Receptions and Events Message from the Chair Dear E&T division members, Greetings from New Orleans! I hope you are having a relaxing and productive summer thus far. If you are, like myself, teaching classes this summer, I wish you the best of luck with those assignments. I expect, though, we’ll all need a break before fall semester begins, which will be here sooner than we think (isn’t that always the case?!). In addition to making time for a much-deserved break from work, it is my sincere hope you are attending the SSSP meetings in Montreal this August where we can catch up with old colleagues and make new friends in this enchanting international city. A quick note before detailing the superb E&T events at the meeting… p. 2 I want to share a resolution I proposed to SSSP in response to the current political climate that poses major challenges to environmental research and instruction, including but not limited to gutting environmental agencies, defunding environmental research, denying climate change, and undermining efforts to develop a vital renewable energy sector. Add to this the wanton disregard for communities and individuals whose existence is threatened by, for instance, the Keystone XL permit reversal, the rollback of protections for clean air and water, and failure to take swift action against climate change. A prominent example of the affront to environmental scholarship is Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. In response to this disastrous move—one that imperils the health and wellbeing of individuals around the world—I have proposed a resolution (full text on page 6) to the SSSP council. I hope to have your support should it gain committee approval and be brought to the general membership for vote. Now, on to the meetings… Thanks to all who are participating in the SSSP 2017 annual meeting by presenting research, organizing panels, and moderating sessions. Your contributions are indispensable to our success. I hope you share my enthusiasm for attending the exciting slate of E&T panels, dialogues, and sessions. Please join me in congratulating our 2017 Brent K. Marshall Graduate Student Paper Award winner, Ian Carrillo, University of Wisconsin-Madison. His paper, "Elites, Embeddedness, and Environmental Inequality: Examining the Growth in Farmland Acquisition in Brazilian Sugarcane," is an ethnography of the Brazilian sugarcane industry that applies economic and environmental sociology to examine farmland purchasing decisions. Please see page 5 for elaboration of this project and further details on Ian’s research. Special thanks to the award committee members, Nels Paulson (University of Wisconsin-Stout), Victor Perez (University of Delaware), and Erin Robinson (Canisius College) for reviewing and refereeing submissions. Notably, this is Victor’s second consecutive year on the committee and Erin’s fourth! We are fortunate to have such dedicated members. Please join me in expressing appreciation to all committee members for their efforts. Following the SSSP Business Meeting (4:15-5:25pm) and Presidential Address (5:30-6:30pm) on Saturday, August 12, Ian will be recognized during the award ceremony held from 6:45-7:45pm. Immediately following (7:45-8:45pm) is our division reception in the Salon Ville-Marie at the Montreal Bonaventure Hotel. This is an excellent opportunity to cavort and imbibe with fellow SSSP members—it is always a great time! I hope you will join us for the festivities. p.3 Also, please put our divisional meeting on your calendar, which will take place on Friday, August 11, from 4:30-6:10pm in Outremont. These meetings are a great way to get more involved in the division. Please attend and bring your ideas for panels and sessions you’d like to organize and/or participate in 2018! Graduate students are especially encouraged to attend—we’d love to hear from you! We have many thrilling co-sponsored sessions this year, such as “Environmental Racism: Power, Resistance, Transformation” (co-sponsor Racial & Ethnic Minorities), “Global Environmental Justice: Stories of Power and Resistance” (co-sponsor Global), “Community Development and Local Food Systems” (co-sponsor Community Research & Development), “Environmental Health, Mobilization, and Justice” and “Policies, Actions and Environmental In/Justice” (co-sponsored with Conflict, Social Action, & Change plus Health, Health Policy, & Health Services). Please see pages 9-10 for the full list of co-sponsored sessions you will not want to miss! Our critical dialogue sessions are sure to be a hit. The focus of one is “Resistance Narratives and Scholar Activism” (organized by Erin Robinson), while another centers on “Applications in Environmental Studies and Narratives on Interdisciplinary Research” (organized by Victor Perez); add to that “Negotiating Climate Change and Food Security” and “Food Sovereignty and Security” (organized by Carmel Price), which you will certainly want to attend. Please see below the full list of E&T division’s panels, sessions, and critical dialogues for the 2017 meeting. You will not want to miss a single one! If you haven’t done so already, register for the conference and book your stay at the conference hotel. Rooms are filling up fast! Please enjoy the contents of the newsletter. As always, I am deeply indebted to our magnificent newsletter editors, Clare Cannon and Lisa East, whose tireless inputs make this newsletter possible. Thank you!! I hope you share my enthusiasm for the 2017 annual meeting. I look forward seeing you in Montreal! In solidarity, Laura If you haven’t done so already, please like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ssspet/ p.4 Recent Publications van den Scott, Lisa-Jo K. 2016. “Mundane Technology in non-Western Contexts: Wall-as-Tool.” Pp. 33-53 in Sociology of Home: Belonging, Community and Place in the Canadian Context. Laura Suski, Joey Moore, and Gillian Anderson, eds. Canadian Scholars Press International. Abstract: This case study examines the introduction of permanent walls, housing, to an Inuit hamlet, Arviat, in Nunavut, Canada. These houses are designed by members of a different cultural group (Western culture) and carry that group’s prescriptive understandings of “home.” I examine how the Inuit negotiate these walls and exercise agency in the appropriation of their houses and walls by considering the wall-as-tool. By using and decorating their walls in particular ways, Arviammiut transpose and demonstrate cultural values inside their homes, thus they transform the “technological frame” of inside walls and shift their culture “inside.” This article examines walls as a mundane technology in a non-Western context, with an analytical focus of use on-the-ground. Reflexivity emerges as a salient process. “Passive engagements” and “active engagements” are conceptual tools for examining this reflexivity. Congratulations to our members on their recent publications! Have a book or publication announcement? On the market? Have a grant or publishing opportunity? Interested in writing a short contribution for the newsletter? Contact us at etsssp@gmail.com - we’d love to hear from you! p.5 Congratulations to the 2017 Brent K. Marshall Award Winner – Ian Carrillo! Name: Ian Carrillo Affiliation: Departments of Sociology/Community and Environmental Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Paper title: “Elites, Embeddedness, and Environmental Inequality: Examining the Growth in Farmland Acquisition in Brazilian Sugarcane” Article description: This paper bridges economic and environmental sociology to examine the largescale accumulation of farmland. Through a multi-sited ethnography of the Brazilian sugarcane industry, I find that the declining profitability of mills – the vehicle of family patrimony for elites – exposed deep-seated fears of downward mobility, which spurred farmland purchases. The paper shows not only how sociological and economistic factors interact for investment decisions, but also how elite embeddedness in inter-firm networks and state-market relations shapes inequality. Research Description My name is Ian Carrillo, and I am a PhD candidate in the departments of Sociology/Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Environment and Technology Division awarded me the 2017 Brent K. Marshall Paper Award for my paper “Elites, Embeddedness, and Environmental Inequality: Examining the Growth in Farmland Acquisition in Brazilian Sugarcane.” My research interests, as I describe below, are grounded in understanding how to balance equitable development with environmental sustainability. In my doctoral research, I ask: how does inequality shape and limit processes of climate change mitigation and development? With the support of a Fulbright IIE Fellowship and a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship, I answered this question by conducting a multi-sited ethnography of the sugar-ethanol industry in Brazil, where mills widely adopted new labor and environmental standards. My dissertation – Fire, Families, and Farmworkers: Changing the Nature of Power and Opportunity in the Cane Fields – examines how business growth and pro-poor policies challenged prevailing relations between owners, workers, and the environment on mills. I interviewed industry elites, such as the owners and managers of mills, and conducted observations of activities at mills. By viewing inequality and power from above, I was able to glean unique insight on how elites negotiated compliance with new policies for equity and sustainability while also seeking to preserve and expand existing privileges and advantages. The findings from my fieldwork show that efforts at inclusive business growth had a stratifying effect on land, labor, and technology, with mixed environmental outcomes. On one hand, evidence illustrates that policies to improve labor conditions for seasonal farmworkers, such as cane-cutters, spurred owners and managers to mechanize harvesting activities. As I explain in a 2017 article in Environmental Sociology, a secondary effect of p.6 mechanization is the elimination of pre-harvest field burning, a labor-saving practice that generated CO2 and atmospheric pollution. On the other hand, I find that the ethanol boom triggered a race among cane elites to buy farmland and build new mills. In this scramble, elites sought to preserve power and wealth, as well as expand the patrimonial dynasty for future heirs. Thus, sociological impulses worked in tandem with economic factors to deepen social and environmental inequalities. This project stemmed from my previous research on the new development state in Brazil. In a 2014 article in Latin American Perspectives, I examined how the ruling Workers Party used state activism to induce social and industrial change. I argued that while social and labor programs were effective at reducing poverty and inequality, state spending on large businesses was often marked by corruption, which threatened to undermine the national project. This article generated key questions for my dissertation, as I detected that there were certain sectors, such as sugarcane, in which pro-business and pro-poor policies were in tension. For my dissertation, I went to the sites of production – sugar-ethanol mills – to examine how these tensions were resolved, which allowed me to empirically link how national policies shape local/regional development. RESOLUTION: Call for the SSSP to stand in support of the United States’ involvement in the Paris Climate Accord Submitted by Laura McKinney, Chair of the Environment & Technology Division Whereas President Trump has announced the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement; Whereas the United States’ involvement in the Paris Climate Accords is critical to reaching targets for global emissions reductions; Whereas failing to achieve emissions reductions as outlined in the Paris Climate Accords poses grave threats to the health and wellbeing of individuals worldwide; Whereas the adverse effects of climate change are disproportionately concentrated among marginalized populations; Whereas failing to meet targets for global emissions reductions as outlined by the Paris Climate Accords unnecessarily puts into peril future generations’ health and wellbeing; Whereas withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord impinges on employment of individuals across diverse sectors of environmental policy, planning, science, research, and development; Be it resolved that the Society for the Study of Social Problems stands in solidarity with the policies and practices established by the Paris Climate Accord; Be it resolved that the Society for the Study of Social Problems will communicate support for the Paris Climate Accords to the appropriate legislators and public officials; Be it resolved that the Society for the Study of Social Problems will stand in solidarity with the nations and other public and private entities that remain steadfast to upholding emissions reduction targets as outlined in the Paris Climate Accords. p.7 Join us for 67th SSSP Annual Meeting in Montreal, Québec, Canada; August 11-13 Online pre-registration is open until July 15th! Registering early saves you time and money! Attendees who miss the July 15th pre-registration deadline will be required to pay on-site registration. To register for the annual meeting, visit the SSSP Annual Meeting portal here: http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/696/fuseaction/ssspconf.portal p.8 Accessibility Guidelines and Services for Program Participants, Presenters, and Session Organizers at SSSP’s 2017 Annual Meeting The Accessibility Committee has developed written guidelines to maximize access for all program participants. In addition, the Committee has developed checklists for presenters and session organizers. See SSSP’s website for PDFs of all checklists here: (http://www.sssp1.org/index.cfm/m/665/Accessibility_Guidelines_and_Services/) Visual Materials: Presenters have the primary responsibility for ensuring the access of the materials which they share with their audience. If visual material is presented, you should be sure that either yourself as the speaker or another appropriate person reads or orally describes the overheads or other visual material for blind or low-vision participants. Handouts of your paper can be useful adjuncts to any presentation. If employed, these materials must also be made accessible to all by making them available in alternate formats. Therefore, you should have a few copies in large (18 point font) print and be prepared to share them in electronic form. (Reasonable efforts on your part and a willingness to relay additional materials at a later date to attendees at your session are certainly acceptable.) Air Quality & Service Animals: Please refrain from wearing any scented products to respect participants who may be sensitive and/or allergic to these types of chemicals. Unless you yourself use a service or therapy dog or other credentialed assistance animal, we ask that you not bring companion animals to the book exhibit or areas where SSSP members are presenting. Seating Arrangements: Rooms will be arranged for wheelchair access, but chairs do get moved around. When you arrive at a session, please choose a seat or space that does not block a door or aisle. Do not be afraid to move chairs for each other. Also, please do not block the hallways. We all do some session hopping, so leave room to allow all people to come and go during a session. Sign and Voice Interpreting: There may be American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter(s) present during your session. Please do not block the view of the interpreter especially if audio-visual aids are in use. Lights should not be lowered to a degree that would interfere with sign interpretation or lip reading. During discussion periods, be sure the interpreter can hear you and keep up with you. Please be aware that some people may have great difficulty understanding what you are saying (particularly when there is competing background noise) and that some concepts/terms used in the academic language may be unfamiliar to interpreters. Whether you are a member of the audience or are communicating with someone using an interpreter, give your attention to the person using the interpreter, not to the interpreter. In order to facilitate the work of interpreters and facilitators and for other logistical purposes all program participants must send a copy of their paper to the session presider and/or discussant by June 30. Audio Equipment: Presenters with soft voices should request the use of a microphone so that their presentations will be more easily audible. Please speak clearly and in a reasonable tone into the microphone (especially with proper nouns). An FM audio loop system may also be provided to attendees upon request. This may involve a separate microphone from that used by the general public address system. If one is in use, try to minimize extra noise as much as possible. Discussions: All speakers should state their names in discussions, whether speaking from the session panel or from the audience. Please be patient and be prepared to have your discussant interrupt you to ensure effective ASL interpretation or use of an FM Loop or a microphone if necessary. If you need accommodations (including microphones for presenters with soft voices) in order to present your paper or have any questions or concerns, contact Sara Green, Accessibility Committee Chair, sagreen@usf.edu and Michele Koontz, Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager, mkoontz3@utk.edu no later than June 30. p.8 2017 Annual Meeting Environment & Technology Division Sessions Division Sessions: 30. “Resistance Narratives and Scholar Activism” (CRITICAL DIALOGUE, THEMATIC) Session organizer: Erin Robinson, Canisius College, robinso5@canisius.edu Friday, August 11th 12:30 pm-2:10 pm (Room: Lachine) 105. “Applications in Environmental Studies & Narratives on Interdisciplinary Research” (CRITICAL DIALOGUE, THEMATIC) Session organizer: Victor Perez, University of Delaware, victorp@udel.edu Saturday, August 12th 2:30 pm-4:10 pm (Room: Hampstead) 122. “Negotiating Climate Change and Food Security” (REGULAR SESSION) Session organizer: Carmel E. Price, University of Michigan-Dearborn, carmelp@umich.edu Sunday, August 13th 8:30 am-10:10 am (Room Jacques-Cartier) 135. “Food Sovereignty and Security” (REGULAR SESSION) Session organizer: Carmel E. Price, University of Michigan-Dearborn, carmelp@umich.edu Sunday August 13th 10:30 am-12:10 pm (Room: Jacques-Cartier) Co-Sponsored Sessions: 9. “Environmental Racism: Power, Resistance, Transformation” co-sponsored with Racial and Ethnic Minorities (REGULAR SESSION, THEMATIC) Session organizer: Daina Harvey, dharvey@holycross.edu Friday, August 11th 8:30-10:10am (Room: St-Lambert) 20. “Global Environmental Justice: Stories of Power and Resistance” co-sponsored with Global (REGULAR SESSION, THEMATIC) Session organizer: Ian Carillo, icarillo@wisc.edu Friday, August 11th 10:30 am-12:10pm (Room: St-Lambert) 44. “Environmental Health & Environmental Justice” co-sponsored with Conflict, Social Action and Change AND Health (REGULAR SESSION) Session organizer: Marko Salvaggio, Goucher College, Marko.Salvaggio@goucher.edu Friday, August 11th 2:30 pm-4:10 pm (Room: Longueuil) 72. “Geography and Human Capital” co-sponsored with Youth, Aging, and Life Course (REGULAR SESSION) Session organizer: Rebecca Wang, Syracuse University, rwang09@syr.edu Saturday, August 12th 8:30 am-10:10 am (Room: St-Lambert) p.10 78. “Community Development and Local Food Systems” co-sponsored with Community Research and Development (REGULAR SESSION) Session organizer: Leslie Hossfeld, lhossfeld@soc.msstate.edu Saturday, August 12th 10:30 am-12:10 pm (Room: Fundy) 147. “Policies, Actions, and Environmental In/Justice” co-sponsored with Conflict, Social Action and Change AND Health, Health Policy, and Health Services (REGULAR SESSION) Session organizer: Marko Salvaggio, Goucher College, Marko.Salvaggio@goucher.edu Sunday, August 13th 12:30 pm-2:10 pm (Room: Fundy) 171. “The Technologies of Telling” co-sponsored with Institutional Ethnography (REGULAR SESSION, THEMATIC) Session organizer: Cheryl Zurowski, cdz@qbeach.ca Sunday, August 13th 4:30 pm-6:10 pm (Room: Cote-St-Luc) Plan to Attend the 2017 SSSP Annual Meeting Environment & Technology Division Meeting Friday, August 11th; 4:30pm– 6:10pm SSSP Annual Meeting Receptions and Special Events THURSDAY, AUGUST 10 6:30pm – 7:30pm Arrival Meet & Greet Reception; Location: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level FRIDAY, AUGUST 11 6:30pm - 7:30pm Welcoming Reception; Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level 10:00pm – 11:00pm Graduate Student Happy Hour; Location: Le Kube, Hotel Bar, Lobby Level Descriptions of Receptions and Special Events are on page 10 and 11 SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 7:15am – 8:15am New Member Breakfast; Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level 4:15pm – 5:25pm SSSP Business Meeting; Room: Westmount, Banquets Level 5:30pm – 6:30pm Presidential Address; Room: Westmount, Banquets Level 6:45pm – 7:45pm Awards Ceremony; Room: Westmount, Banquets Level 7:45pm – 8:45pm Division-Sponsored Reception; Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level p.11 SSSP Annual Meeting Receptions and Special Events Arrival Meet & Greet Reception Open to SSSP Registrants All meeting registrants are invited to the Arrival Meet & Greet Reception on Thursday, August 10, to celebrate the opening of the 67th Annual Meeting. This social hour kicks off at 6:30pm (Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level) and provides opportunities to renew past acquaintances, chat with old friends, and find a newcomer to befriend. New members and first-time meeting attendees are particularly encouraged to attend. Welcoming Reception Open to SSSP Registrants All meeting registrants are invited to the Welcoming Reception on Friday, August 11. This social hour kicks off at 6:30pm (Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level) and provides opportunities to renew past acquaintances, chat with old friends, and find a newcomer to befriend. New members and first-time meeting attendees are particularly encouraged to attend. Graduate Student Happy Hour The Graduate Student Happy Hour is scheduled on Friday, August 11 from 10:00pm-11:00pm (Location: Le Kube, Hotel Bar, Lobby Level). Complimentary drinks will be provided. New Member Breakfast On Saturday, August 12 from 7:15am-8:15am (Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level), established SSSP members will host a breakfast, greeting, welcoming, and networking with new members. Enter the room with a “New Member” or “Host” ribbon on your SSSP name badge. SSSP Business Meeting Open to SSSP Members Plan to attend the SSSP Business Meeting on Saturday, August 12 from 4:15pm-5:25pm (Room: Westmount, Banquets Level) for an update on the status and future of SSSP. The meeting concludes with the traditional transfer of the gavel, marking the transition of duties from Donileen R. Loseke to incoming President Luis A. Fernandez. An open discussion period will follow the meeting. Please consult the flyer in your registration bag for details on the Business Meeting agenda. Presidential Address Open to SSSP Registrants Plan to attend the Presidential Address featuring the formal address of President Donileen R. Loseke on Saturday, August 12 from 5:30pm-6:30pm (Room: Westmount, Banquets Level). All members are invited to this session. p.12 Awards Ceremony Open to SSSP Registrants Plan to attend the Awards Ceremony, conferring the 2017 major SSSP awards, on Saturday, August 12 from 6:45pm-7:45pm (Room: Westmount, Banquets Level). AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED SSSP Division Awards: Winners of the student paper competitions will be announced. Arlene Kaplan Daniels Paper Award: For an author of the best paper on Women and Social Justice. Beth B. Hess Memorial Scholarship: This $15,000 scholarship will be awarded to a new or continuing graduate student who began her or his study in a community college or technical school. C. Wright Mills Award: For a distinguished book that exemplifies outstanding social science research and an understanding of the individual and society in the tradition of C. Wright Mills. Doris Wilkinson Faculty Leadership Award: For an outstanding faculty member who has exercised an extensive leadership role within the SSSP and other professional societies and within the larger community. Joseph B. Gittler Award: For significant scholarly achievement that a SSSP member has made in contributing to the ethical resolution of social problems. Kathleen S. Lowney Mentoring Award: For an outstanding faculty member or community activist who recognizes the value of quality mentoring relationships between mentor and mentee and/or mentoring programs especially those for undergraduate or graduate students and/or for social activists, particularly for younger scholars and activists. Lee Founders Award: For recognition of significant achievements that have demonstrated continuing devotion to the ideals of the founders of the Society and especially to the humanistic tradition of the Lee’s. Racial/Ethnic Minority Graduate Scholarship: Two $15,000 scholarships will be awarded annually for support of graduate study and commitment to a career of scholar-activism. Thomas C. Hood Social Action Award: This $5,000 award will be presented to a not-for-profit organization in the Montreal area in recognition of challenging social inequalities, promoting social change, and/or working toward the empowerment of marginalized peoples. Division-Sponsored Reception Open to SSSP Registrants Following the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, August 12, the following divisions will host a joint reception from 7:45pm-8:45pm (Room: Salon Ville-Marie, Lobby Level): Community Research and Development; Conflict, Social Action, and Change; Crime and Juvenile Delinquency; Disability; Educational Problems; Environment and Technology; Family; Global; Health, Health Policy, and Health Services; Institutional Ethnography; Labor Studies; Law and Society; Poverty, Class, and Inequality; Racial and Ethnic Minorities; Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities; Social Problems Theory; Society and Mental Health; Sociology and Social Welfare; Sport, Leisure, and the Body; Teaching Social Problems; and Youth, Aging, and the Life Course. p.13 Have a book or publication announcement? On the market? Have a grant or publishing opportunity? Interested in writing a short contribution for the newsletter? Contact us at etsssp@gmail.com - we’d love to hear from you! Notes from the Co-editors Happy summer! Please remember to register for the Annual Meeting by July 15th to receive pre-registration rates. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Montréal and all of the great E&T sessions. Best, Lisa and Clare, 2016-2017 E&T Newsletter Co-Editors Special thanks to Ian Carrillo, Laura McKinney, and Lisa-Jo van den Scott for their contributions to this newsletter