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Rob Nixon

ロブ・ニクソン

Robu Nikuson

Profile

Gender
Male
Nationality
South African
Languages
English
Residence History
South Africa (origin) → Madison, Wisconsin (residence/employment)

Career

Occupations
author, scholar, university professor
Active Years
1978-
Affiliations
University of Wisconsin–Madison (Department of English / Environmental Studies)
Influenced By
V. S. Naipaul
Influenced
scholars in the environmental humanities

Education

Rhodes University
Degree: B.A.
Year of Graduation: 1978
Country: South Africa
University of Iowa
English
Degree: M.A.
Year of Graduation: 1982
Country: United States
Columbia University
English
Degree: Ph.D.
Year of Graduation: 1989
Country: United States

Awards

American Book Award
Work: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
Harold & Margaret Sprout Award
Work: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor
Organization: International Studies Association, Environmental Studies Section
Result: 受賞
Transdisciplinary Humanities Book Award
2012
Work: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor
Organization: Institute for Humanities Research, Arizona State University
Result: 受賞
ASLE Scholarly Book Award
2013
Work: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor
Organization: ASLE (Association for the Study of Literature and Environment)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor

2011 environmental humanities / non-fiction

Slow Violence examines forms of environmental harm that occur gradually and are often out of sight, arguing that such 'slow violence' disproportionately affects the poor and marginalized. Through case studies and critical analysis, the book links political economy, colonial histories, and environmental degradation.

environmental injusticecolonialismslow violencepoverty and environment
Translations
  • various translations (see publisher)

London Calling: V.S. Naipaul, Postcolonial Mandarin

1992 literary criticism / postcolonial studies

A critical study of V. S. Naipaul, reassessing his literary and cultural positions from a postcolonial perspective.

postcolonialismpostcolonial criticismindividuals and empire

Homelands, Harlem and Hollywood: South African Culture and the World Beyond

1996 cultural studies / literature

Explores how South African culture has been situated within broader international contexts through examples from theatre, literature, and film.

South African culturediasporapopular culture and politics

Dreambirds: The Natural History of a Fantasy

non-fiction / natural history

An essayistic work crossing natural history and imagination, questioning human-nature relations through imagined birds and landscapes.

natural historyimaginationhuman-nature relations

Bibliography

  • London Calling: V.S. Naipaul, Postcolonial Mandarin
  • Homelands, Harlem and Hollywood: South African Culture and the World Beyond
  • Dreambirds: The Natural History of a Fantasy
  • Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor

Style & Themes

Literary Style
interdisciplinary and theoretical styleblend of case studies and critical analysis
Recurring Motifs
environment and justicecontinuities of colonialisminvisibility of violence

Legacy

Rob Nixon has significantly influenced debates in the environmental humanities and environmental justice through his concept of 'slow violence.' His work bridges scholarship and public discourse, providing frameworks for understanding links between environmental harm and poverty.

Quotes

  • “Slow violence is a violence that occurs gradually and out of sight.”
    Source: Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor (2011)

Trivia

  • Born in South Africa.
  • Teaches environmental studies, postcolonial studies, and related fields at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
  • Slow Violence is widely cited as a key contribution to the environmental humanities.