D. W. Meinig
Encyclopedia
Donald William Meinig is an American
geographer. He is the Maxwell
Research Professor Emeritus of Geography at Syracuse University
.
Meinig studied foreign service at Georgetown University
, and then earned graduate degrees in geography from the University of Washington
in 1950 and 1953, under the supervision of Australia
n geographer Graham Lawton; he was also strongly influenced by historian Carroll Quigley
. Starting in 1950, Meinig held a faculty position at the University of Utah
. however, in 1958 he left Utah for a visiting position at the University of Adelaide
in Australia, under a Fulbright scholarship, and in 1960 he joined the Syracuse faculty. He was chairman of the geography department at Syracuse from 1968 to 1973, became Maxwell Professor at Syracuse in 1990, and retired in 2004.
At Syracuse, Meinig was the doctoral advisor of more than 20 graduate students, including noted New Zealand
geographer Evelyn Stokes
.
, regional geography
, cultural geography
, social geography
, and landscape interpretation
. His most ambitious and well known work is the four volume series "The Shaping of America" (published 1986, 1993, 1998, and 2004). He also concentrated on literary spaces and geography, stating, "Literature is a valuable storehouse of vivid depictions of the landscapes and lives of modern day society."
. He was the first American geographer to be elected as a corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
, in 1991. In 1965 the Association of American Geographers
awarded him a citation "For Meritorious Contribution to the Field of Geography," and the American Geographical Society
gave him their Charles P. Daly Medal in 1986. Meinig received an honorary doctorate (D.H.L.
) from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University in 1994. The Geographical Review devoted a special issue to him in July 2009. In 2010, he was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
geographer. He is the Maxwell
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is the public policy school of Syracuse University...
Research Professor Emeritus of Geography at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
Meinig studied foreign service at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, and then earned graduate degrees in geography from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1950 and 1953, under the supervision of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n geographer Graham Lawton; he was also strongly influenced by historian Carroll Quigley
Carroll Quigley
Carroll Quigley was an American historian and theorist of the evolution of civilizations. He is noted for his teaching work as a professor at Georgetown University, for his academic publications, and for his research on secret societies.- Biography :Quigley was born in Boston, and attended...
. Starting in 1950, Meinig held a faculty position at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
. however, in 1958 he left Utah for a visiting position at the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
in Australia, under a Fulbright scholarship, and in 1960 he joined the Syracuse faculty. He was chairman of the geography department at Syracuse from 1968 to 1973, became Maxwell Professor at Syracuse in 1990, and retired in 2004.
At Syracuse, Meinig was the doctoral advisor of more than 20 graduate students, including noted New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
geographer Evelyn Stokes
Evelyn Stokes
Dame Evelyn Mary Stokes, DNZM was a professor of geography at the University of Waikato in New Zealand and a member of the New Zealand government's Waitangi Tribunal...
.
Research
Meinig's work focuses on historical geographyHistorical geography
Historical geography is the study of the human, physical, fictional, theoretical, and "real" geographies of the past. Historical geography studies a wide variety of issues and topics. A common theme is the study of the geographies of the past and how a place or region changes through time...
, regional geography
Regional geography
Regional geography is the study of world regions. Attention is paid to unique characteristics of a particular region such as natural elements, human elements, and regionalization which covers the techniques of delineating space into regions....
, cultural geography
Cultural geography
Cultural geography is a sub-field within human geography. Cultural geography is the study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relations to spaces and places...
, social geography
Social geography
Social geography is the branch of human geography that is most closely related to social theory in general and sociology in particular, dealing with the relation of social phenomena and its spatial components. Though the term itself has a tradition of more than 100 years, there is no consensus on...
, and landscape interpretation
Cultural landscape
Cultural Landscapes have been defined by the World Heritage Committee as distinct geographical areas or properties uniquely "..represent[ing] the combined work of nature and of man.."....
. His most ambitious and well known work is the four volume series "The Shaping of America" (published 1986, 1993, 1998, and 2004). He also concentrated on literary spaces and geography, stating, "Literature is a valuable storehouse of vivid depictions of the landscapes and lives of modern day society."
Books
His principal publications include:- The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 4: Global America, 1915-2000 (New Haven, Yale University Press, 2004).
- The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 3: Transcontinental America, 1850-1915 (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1995).
- The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 2, Continental America, 1800-1867 (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1992).
- The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History, Volume 1, Atlantic America, 1492-1800 (New Haven, Yale University Press, 1986).
- (Editor, with John Brinckerhoff Jackson) The Interpretation of Ordinary Landscapes (New York, Oxford University Press, 1979).
- Southwest: Three Peoples in Geographical Change 1600-1970 (New York, Oxford University Press, 1971).
- Imperial Texas, An Interpretative Essay in Cultural Geography (Austin, University of Texas Press, 1969).
- The Great Columbia Plain, A Historical Geography, 1805- 1910 (Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1968).
Awards and honors
Meinig was a Fulbright Scholar, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Fellow of the National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
. He was the first American geographer to be elected as a corresponding Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, in 1991. In 1965 the Association of American Geographers
Association of American Geographers
The Association of American Geographers is a non-profit scientific and educational society founded in 1904 and aimed at advancing the understanding, study, and importance of geography and related fields...
awarded him a citation "For Meritorious Contribution to the Field of Geography," and the American Geographical Society
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
gave him their Charles P. Daly Medal in 1986. Meinig received an honorary doctorate (D.H.L.
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
) from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University in 1994. The Geographical Review devoted a special issue to him in July 2009. In 2010, he was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.