How does a sociological viewpoint give us a unique insight into the material environments surrounding us? And how does environmental awareness shape our sociological perspective? If we look at nature from a biological perspective we can refer to it as being the physical world including the plants, animals, landscapes, and other features not created by human hands. When we bring a sociological perspective into it, we start to look at human interaction with nature and how we have introduced things like pollution and scarcity of resources because of our disregard for the environment around us.
Gregory Hooks and Chad Smith examine the environmental inequalities endured by the Native American populations living on the reservations assigned to them by the United States government in the paper titled “Treadmill of Destruction.” They provide evidence in this paper that the U.S. military knowingly used Native American land as a dumping ground for hazardous material and a place to “produce, test, and deploy weapons of unprecedented toxicity.” (
Hooks and Smith, 558–75)
The forced relocation of Native Americans onto reservations came without their consent and choice of land. To many, the new land was unfamiliar and vastly different from their original homelands which meant having to adapt to a new climate, landscape, and ecosystem. The land quality was poor making it difficult for traditional agricultural practices and hunting which led to food shortages and economic hardships. The reservations were also isolated and far away from any other signs of civilization.
Starting in the 1940s, Uranium has been mined on Native American land leading to environmental contamination and severe health problems to those living in the area. (
Nuclear War) During World War II, the United States military used Native American land for their bombing ranges in places such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
(On Dangerous Ground) From 1951 to 1992 the United States government did nuclear testing on Native American lands in Nevada releasing radioactive plumes into the air affecting nearby tribes. (
EJ Atlas) In the 1960s, the U.S. Government tested dioxin (a component of Agent Orange) on Native American land in Arizona. (
Sanjana Manjeshwar) All of these military activities have resulted in significant impacts on the environment, major health issues for the Native Americans occupying the land, and disruptions to life on the reservations in general.
Native American tribes have tried to combat all the issues that have stemmed from the years of neglect and abuse they faced as they were seen as second-class citizens living in areas the U.S. military also deemed appropriate to use for the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction. They are still trying to address the long-term health affects many are suffering from after being exposed to so many hazardous materials. Being part of a minority and marginalized community they already suffer from access to healthcare which now adds additional pressure of educating those still living on the reservations of the existing health hazards around them as well. While it should not be the tribes responsibility to restore the damages done to the environment on their lands, they are also trying to engage in clean up efforts to restore and preserve the natural resources that exist on their land for future generations. The Navajo Nation has also filed lawsuits against the United States government to seek compensation and cleanup for uranium contamination as this is something they can’t clean up themselves.
The treadmill of destruction is a social issue because it leads to environmental harm that affects all of us. While in the example above the harm is mostly done to those living on Native American reservations, this should be an issue that impacts all humans as we all inhabit this earth together. The environmental impacts and livelihoods of communities are destroyed at the expense of military activities. Marginalized communities such as the Native American populations were already looked on as second class citizens and because of this no safety measures were taken into account during all the years the military used their land with serious repercussions. Suppression of information and lack of transparency from the military created immense health risks for many who had no idea what kind of testing or toxins were released into their communities.
Another example of this is when the United States military decided to conduct nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958 which displaced the entire local population on the island of Bikini Atoll. They were forcibly relocated, just like the Native Americans, which created severe hardships as their lives were disrupted. The nuclear tests vaporized some of the smaller islands close by and left behind radioactive contamination. The water around the islands became dangerous as well affecting the fishing and farming that the inhabitants were used to. (Hodson, Watson, and Sanchez) The environmental impact of the testing for those years created ripple effects still felt in that area today.
Sociologists study how human activities contribute to environmental degradation. Awareness of environmental issues and concepts like environmental racism and social inequality are key to understanding how different groups experience environmental hazards differently.
Sources:
EJ Atlas. Available at https://ejatlas.org/conflict/nuclear-testing-in-newe-segobia-western-shoshone-lands-in-nevada-us.
From Issue: Fall 2023 / Vol. 24 No. 3 et al., “On Dangerous Ground: Oglala Lakota Land Used as a Bombing Range in World War II Is Still Perilous,” NMAI Magazine. Available at https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/Badlands-bombing-range.
Gregory Hooks and Chad L. Smith, “The Treadmill of Destruction: National Sacrifice Areas and Native Americans,” American Sociological Review 69, no. 4 (August 2004) Available at https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240406900405.
Nuclear War: Uranium Mining and Nuclear Tests on Indigenous Lands,” Cultural Survival. Available at https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/nuclear-war-uranium-mining-and-nuclear-tests-indigenous.
Simon Hodson Tara Watson and Gabriel R. Sanchez, “Mass Displacement Caused by Conflicts and One-Sided Violence: National and International Responses,” Brookings, July 28, 2016. Available at https://www.brookings.edu/articles/mass-displacement-caused-by-conflicts-and-one-sided-violence-national-and-international-responses/.
Sanjana Manjeshwar “The Lasting Harms of Toxic Exposure in Native American Communities - Berkeley Political Review,” Berkeley Political Review - UC Berkeley’s only nonpartisan political magazine, July 13, 2021.Available at https://bpr.studentorg.berkeley.edu/2021/07/10/the-lasting-harms-of-toxic-exposure-in-native-american-communities/.
[Written for SOC 3520 class UVU Fall 2024]
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