CHARLES C. GEISLER
ACADEMIC RANK:
Professor
TRAINING:
Ph.D. 1979 University of Wisconsin-Madison (Rural Sociology)
M.A. 1975 University of Wisconsin-Madison (Rural Sociology)
B.A. 1967 Dartmouth College (International Relations)
DIVISION OF EFFORT:
Teaching: 47% (Land Reform; Property and Community; Social Impact
Assessment; Technology and Society; Intro. Sociology)
Research: 50% (New Formulations of Property and Community)
Extension: 3% (Community-Based Land Use Planning)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES FOR NEXT 5 YEARS:
In the last quarter century privatization has become the watchword
of the new world order. My research addresses the oldest and most
pervasive form of privatization, private ownership of land, as
well as variants and alternatives to it. Current thinking is that
property is a set of social relations rather than a person-thing
relationship. Sociologists have yet to distinguish the social
relations of private from those of public property, not to mention
common property and the hybrids of these ideal types. These relations
are fluid rather than fixed; thus, property is in fact a social
process rather than an immutable thing or static relationship.
My objective is to identify the sequential social relations that
give rise to this property process. I seek to identify different
sustenance contexts which shape these social relations according
to the following historical framework. In the sustenance context
of eighteenth and nineteenth century, American land was a principal
source of capital and evoked norms of possessive individualism
and full ownership. The sustenance context of the twentieth century
shifted as industrialism matured, moving landownership to a broad
social security function. New property doctrines stressing group
entitlement eclipsed those featuring individual title. Still later,
as land-capital dissolved and U.S. population aged, the stage
was set for consumptive property, i.e., land valued for recreation,
retirement, and aesthetic ends.
Property in the future will be governed by social relations yet
to be determined by sustenance contexts yet unknown. Privatization
in recombinant forms is one option. Common property might be reformulated
to accommodate eco-centered social relationships and growing pressures
for community-based management. Or, property might mimic the ownership
norms of trusts and public utilities, where rights hinge on responsibilities
and where public and private regardingness, to use an old idiom,
are balanced. This presumes a forceful role for equity in social
relations and group (as opposed to individual) rights. It is likely
that the property process of the future will be neither linear
nor be confined to dualistic (public-private) property categories.
Possessive individualism is apt to give way to possessive pluralism
in multiple forms.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1994-present Professor, Department of Rural Sociology, Cornell
University
1986-1994 Associate Professor, Department of Rural Sociology,
Cornell University
1978-1986 Assistant Professor, Department of Rural Sociology,
Cornell University
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES (1990-present)
A. Professional Societies:
Rural Sociological Society; International Association of Impact
Assessment; International Association for the Study of Common
Property; Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society; American
Regional Planning Association
B. Sabbatical Leaves:
Spring 1997, Dept. of Agrarian Law, Wageningen University, The
Netherlands (European antecedents and contributions to American
real property law)
C. Selected Professional Assignments:
1995-present Associate Editor, Rural Sociology
1992-1993 Task Force on Persistent Rural Poverty, Member
1991-present P.I., Dominican Republic/CIIFAD Collaborative Program
1991-1995 National Steering Committee, Forest Trust Santa Fe,
NM)
1991-1992 Committee Member on Scientific and Technical Criteria
for Federal Acquisition of Lands for Conservation, NRC
1988-1991 Associate Editor, Society and Natural Resources
1987-present Associate Editor, Social Impact Assessment
1986-present Associate Editor, J. of Rural Studies
1986-1991 Associate Editor, Sociological Forum
1979-present Board Member of Institute for Community Economics
(Greenfield MA) and Equity Trust, Inc. (Voluntown, CT)
D. Selected University and College Committees:
University: American Indian Program (Teaching, Steering, Publications
and Search Committees); Ctr. for the Environment Advisory Committee;
CIIFAD Faculty Advisory Committee; Ad Hoc Committees.
College: CALS Program Committee; CALS Environmental Planning Committee;
Search Committees.
E. Selected Department Committees:
Graduate Student Evaluations Committee (two terms); Seminar Committee
(three terms); Admissions/Field Committee (three terms); Social
Committee (one term); Various Search and Ad Hoc Committees.
GRADUATE MAJORS (1990-present)
Susan Turnquist PhD 1993 Current position unknown
Sam McReynolds PhD 1994 Asst. Prof., Univ. of New England
Tom Jacobs MS 1996 NGO Regional Dir., Kansas City
Kurt Ver Beek PhD 1996 Associate Professor, Calvin College
Alan Barton PhD Estimated. completion, December, 1998
Jason Frost PhD Estimated completion, December, 1998
Carla Shafer MS Estimated completion, December, 1998
Louise Silberling PhD Estimated completion, December, 1998
Bob Hall PhD Estimated completion, 2000
Rees Warne PhD Estimated completion, June, 1999
Carla Hughett PhD Estimated completion, unknown
Jim Harkness PhD Estimated completion, 2000
Rie Hiroka MS Estimated completion, 1998
GRADUATE MINORS (1990-present)
(Other Fields) (Development Sociology)
Richard Stedmann MA 1993 DNR Charla Britt-Kapoor PhD E.C. 1998
Alex Singer MA 1994 DNR
Radhames Lora PhD 1995 DNR
Gustavo Gutierrez MS 1997 Int'l Ag
Jeff Langholtz PhD 1997 Ecol & Sys
Marjorie Mayr MS 1997 SCAS
Sheryl Swink MS 1997 Int'l Ag
Colleene McVeight PhD E.C. 1998 Anthro
Jack Resselman PhD E.C. 1999 ARME
Brooke Santelle PhD E.C. 2002 Ecol & Sys
______
E.C. = Expected Completion
FIVE REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS (1990-present)
Geisler, C.C. and C. Matthei. (forthcoming) "Land reform in America."
Encyclopaedia of Rural America. Garland Publishers.
Geisler, C.C. 1995. "Land and poverty in the United States." Land
Economics, 71: 16-34.
Geisler, C.C. 1993. "Ownership: An overview." Rural Sociology,
58: 532-546.
Geisler, C.C. 1993. "Rethinking SIA: Why ex ante research isn't
enough." Society and Natural Resources, 6:327-338.
W. Rodgers, C.C. Geisler, et al. 1993. Setting priorities for
land conservation. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.