Ted Steinberg
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Ted Steinberg (born 1961 in Brooklyn, New York) is a Professor of History and Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University.


Background

He was born in Brooklyn and raised in Merrick, Long Island, New York. He had a pro-Israel upbringing and had a bar mitzvah at Temple Beth Am in Merrick in April 1974. As an undergraduate he become an anti-Zionist after reading works by Noam Chomsky and Edward Said. He received his BA summa cum laude in 1983 from
Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
. He received a Ph.D. in history from
Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...
in 1989, where he worked under the guidance of
Donald Worster Donald Worster (born 1941) is an American environmental historian who was, until his retirement, the Hall Distinguished Professor of American History at the University of Kansas. He is one of the founders of, and leading figures in, the field of ...
,
David Hackett Fischer David Hackett Fischer (born December 2, 1935) is University Professor of History Emeritus at Brandeis University. Fischer's major works have covered topics ranging from large macroeconomic and cultural trends ('' Albion's Seed,'' ''The Great Wave' ...
, and Morton Horwitz. From 1990 to 1993 he was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Michigan, and 1993 to 1996 he was an assistant professor at the
New Jersey Institute of Technology {{Infobox university , name = {{nowrap, New Jersey Institute of Technology , image = New Jersey IT seal.svg , image_upright = 0.9 , former_names = Newark College of Engineering (1930–1975)Ne ...
. He was hired at Case Western Reserve University in 1996. Since 2006 he has been the Adeline Barry Davee Distinguished Professor of History. He also serves as faculty adviser for the Radical Student Union and faculty adviser for Students for Justice in Palestine at Case Western Reserve University.


Scholarship

Steinberg is the author of several books in U.S. history that focus on the relationship between ecological forces and social power. His best known works include ''Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History'' (2002); ''Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America'' (2000); and ''American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn'' (2006). His most recent book, ''Gotham Unbound: The Ecological History of Greater New York'' (2014), reinterprets the
New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...
’s history from an environmental perspective and argues against the commonly held view that geography determined the city’s destiny. Considered by some to be an ecosocialist or pro-socialist scholar, Steinberg is highly critical of the impact that capitalism has had on the environment and society. His books have received the following prizes:
National Outdoor Book Award The National Outdoor Book Award (NOBA) was formed in 1997 as an American-based non-profit program which each year presents awards honoring the best in outdoor writing and publishing. It is housed at Idaho State University and chaired by Ron Watte ...
in the category of Nature & the Environment for ''Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History'', 2002; Ohio Academy of History's Publication Award for ''Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America'', 2001; co-winner, the
Law and Society Association The Law and Society Association (LSA), founded in 1964, is a group of scholars from many fields and countries who share a common interest in the place of law in social, political, economic and cultural life. It is one of the leading professional a ...
's J. Willard Hurst Prize for the best work in socio-legal history for ''Nature Incorporated: Industrialization and the Waters of New England'', 1992; and the Old Sturbridge Village E. Harold Hugo Memorial Book Prize for the best book on the history and material culture of rural
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
for ''Nature Incorporated'', 1992. He has been the recipient of support from the Michigan Society of Fellows (1990–1993), the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (1996), the American Council of Learned Societies Burkhardt Fellowship (2001), the
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
(2010), and
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, where he was the B. Benjamin Zucker Fellow in 2006.


Activism

Inspired by
Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky i ...
and
Edward Said Edward Wadie Said (; , ; 1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian-American professor of literature at Columbia University, a public intellectual, and a founder of the academic field of postcolonial studies.Robert Young, ''Whit ...
, he advocates for the rights of the
Palestinian people Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
living under
Israeli occupation Israeli-occupied territories are the lands that were captured and occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967. While the term is currently applied to the Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights, it has also been used to refer to a ...
and supports the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations ...
movement, including the boycott of Israeli academic institutions. As faculty adviser for Students for Justice in Palestine, he supported a student government resolution at Case Western Reserve University calling for the university to divest from corporations that do business in Israel. Steinberg has written editorials expressing criticism of the market economy and capitalism. He written for ''
CounterPunch ''CounterPunch'' is a left-wing online magazine. Content includes a free section published five days a week as well as a subscriber-only area called CounterPunch+, where original articles are published weekly. ''CounterPunch'' is based in the Unit ...
'', ''Dissent'', ''
The Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to re ...
'', ''Discover'', ''
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...
'', ''Natural History'', and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' among others. He has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including
Freakonomics Radio ''Freakonomics Radio'' is an American public radio program which discusses socioeconomic issues for a general audience. The show is a spin-off of the 2005 book ''Freakonomics''. Journalist Stephen Dubner hosts the show, with economist Steven Lev ...
, Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane,
The Leonard Lopate Show Leonard Lopate (born September 23, 1940) is an American radio personality. He is the host of the radio talk show ''Leonard Lopate at Large'', broadcast on WBAI, and the former host of the public radio talk show ''The Leonard Lopate Show'', bro ...
, The
Dennis Prager Dennis Mark Prager (; born August 2, 1948) is an American conservative radio talk show host and writer. He is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show ''The Dennis Prager Show''. In 2009, he co-founded PragerU, which creates five- ...
Show, The
Michael Smerconish Michael Andrew Smerconish ( ; born March 15, 1962) is an American radio host and television presenter, political commentator, newspaper columnist, author, and lawyer. He broadcasts ''The Michael Smerconish Program'' weekdays at 9:00 a.m. ET ...
Show,
Marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...
, The
Jerry Doyle Jerry Doyle (July 16, 1956 – July 27, 2016) was an American talk radio host, right-libertarian political commentator, television actor and founder of the content platform EpicTimes. His nationally syndicated talk show, ''The Jerry Doyle Sho ...
Show, The Mischke Broadcast,
Martha Stewart Living Radio Martha Stewart Living Radio was a 24-hour satellite radio station on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 110 produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. The station aired a variety of programming hosted by the company's team of experts, covering topi ...
,
To the Best of Our Knowledge ''To the Best of Our Knowledge'' (also known by the acronym TTBOOK) is a weekly public-radio interview program produced by Wisconsin Public Radio and distributed by PRX. It is broadcast on 180+ public radio stations in the U.S. and is also availa ...
, and
Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since the late 1970s. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo h ...
: Bullshit.http://tedsteinberg.com/about/


Publications

*''Nature Incorporated: Industrialization and the Waters of New England'' (1991). *''Slide Mountain, or the Folly of Owning Nature'' (1995). *''Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster'' (2000). *''Down to Earth: Nature’s Role in American History'' (2002). , (4th edition, 2018) *''American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn'' (2006). *''Gotham Unbound: The Ecological History of Greater New York'' (2014).


References


External links


Personal WebsiteCase Western Reserve University Department of History Faculty Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinberg, Ted 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Environmental historians 1961 births Living people Case Western Reserve University faculty Tufts University alumni Brandeis University alumni American male non-fiction writers