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Neil Robert Smith

ニール・ロバート・スミス

Niiru Robāto Sumisu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1954-07-18 （Leith, Scotland）
Died
2012-09-29 （New York City, United States） age 58
Nationality
Scottish
Languages
English
Residence History
Dalkeith, Scotland (childhood) → New York City (resident) → Toronto, Canada (part-time residence)

Career

Occupations
Geographer, Anthropologist, Professor, Academic author
Active Years
1977-2012
Affiliations
Columbia University (1982–1986), Rutgers University (1986–2000), The Graduate Center, City University of New York (Professor), University of Aberdeen (Sixth Century Professor, 2008–2012, 20% appointment)
Influenced By
David Harvey, Henri Lefebvre
Influenced
Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Don Mitchell

Education

University of St Andrews
Geography
Degree: B.Sc.
Period: 1973–1977 (在学中に1974–1975年はペンシルベニア大学へ留学)
Year of Graduation: 1977
Country: United Kingdom
Spent 1974–75 at the University of Pennsylvania as part of study period
Johns Hopkins University
Geography (Ph.D.)
Degree: Ph.D.
Period: 1978–1982
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: United States
Doctoral advisor: David Harvey

Awards

Los Angeles Times Book Award (Biography)
2004
Work: American Empire: Roosevelt's Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization
Category: 伝記
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: 受賞
Henry Adams Book Prize
2004
Work: American Empire: Roosevelt's Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization
Organization: Society of Historians in the Federal Government
Result: 受賞
Globe Award for Public Understanding of Geography
2004
Organization: Association of American Geographers
Result: 受賞
Distinguished Scholarship Honors
2000
Organization: Association of American Geographers
Result: 受賞
John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
1995
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞（1995–1996）
Board of Trustees Research Fellowship Award
1988
Organization: Rutgers University
Result: 受賞（1988–1989）
Scottish Geographical Medal
1977
Organization: Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Result: 受賞
Robert Lincoln McNeil Scholar
1974
Organization: University of Pennsylvania
Result: 指定（1974–1975）

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Uneven Development: Nature, Capital and the Production of Space

1984 Social theory / Human geography

A major theoretical work arguing that capitalism intrinsically produces uneven spatial development, drawing on the concept of the social production of space.

social production of spacecapitalismuneven development
Translations
  • Desenvolvimento Desigual (Portuguese translation)

The New Urban Frontier: Gentrification and the Revanchist City

1996 Urban geography / Sociology

Analyzes gentrification as a process driven by capital, land speculation and rent-gap dynamics rather than merely cultural preferences.

gentrificationland speculationurban political economy

American Empire: Roosevelt's Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization

2003 History / Geography

Traces America's rise to global power through the career of geographer Isaiah Bowman and examines the geographic dimensions of U.S. empire.

imperialismhistory of geographyU.S. foreign policy

The Endgame of Globalization

2005 Political geography / Critical theory

A critical analysis of neoliberal globalization, examining the dynamics of capital and political effects on spatial relations.

critique of globalizationneoliberalism

Bibliography

  • Uneven Development: Nature, Capital and the Production of Space (1984)
  • Gentrification of the City (ed., 1986)
  • Geography and Empire (ed., 1994)
  • The New Urban Frontier: Gentrification and the Revanchist City (1996)
  • American Empire: Roosevelt's Geographer and the Prelude to Globalization (2003)
  • The Endgame of Globalization (2005)
  • The Politics of Public Space (with Setha Low, 2006)
  • Democracy, States, and the Struggle for Global Justice (ed., 2009)

Translations of Works

  • Desenvolvimento Desigual (Portuguese translation of Uneven Development, 1988)
  • Translated into multiple languages (including Spanish)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Marxist theoretical framingcritical geographic analysishistorical and spatial comparative methods
Recurring Motifs
production of spacegentrificationuneven developmentcapital accumulation

Health

  • Liver failure and kidney failure
    2012年（死因）
    Died in September 2012 from liver and kidney failure

Legacy

Neil Smith profoundly influenced critical geography and urban studies, known for his rent-gap theory of gentrification and analyses of uneven development. He mentored a generation of critical geographers and made major contributions to the discipline, though his legacy is also marked by allegations of inappropriate conduct toward some female students.

Academic Societies

  • Association of American Geographers
  • Royal Scottish Geographical Society

Archives

  • Archives related to the Graduate Center, CUNY (related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • The band New Urban Frontier took its name from his book title and commemorated him on the album 'Game of Capital'

Trivia

  • Owned a house in Toronto with his partner.
  • Survived by a daughter, Isabella DeRiso.
  • Winner of multiple awards (e.g., Los Angeles Times Book Award, Henry Adams Prize).
  • Allegations from some female students described his conduct toward them as unwelcome and persistent.