From the Cult of Waste to the Trash Heap of History

Zsuzsa Gille grew up in socialist Hungary and was active in semi-legal environmental and peace movements. She is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• Acknowledgments1. Was State Socialism Wasteful?2. Toward a Social Theory of WastePart 1. Discipline and Recycle (1948–1974)3. Metallic Socialism4. The Primitive Accumulation of Waste in Metallic SocialismPart 2. Reform and Reduce (1975–1984)5. The Efficiency Model6. The Limits of EfficiencyPart 3. Privatize and Incinerate (1985–present)7. The Chemical Model8. "Building a Castle out of Shit": The Wastelands of the New Europe9. ConclusionNotesSources and ReferencesIndex

"This is a good book, with a masterful balance of common sense and sophisticated social analysis that does not let relevance be defined by academic discourse only.May 2008"—Judit Bodnar, American Journal of Sociology"Gille's book is a fascinating analysis of environmental policies and the politics of waste, as well a study of socialism through its relationships with what is usually considered as a byproduct of production and/or consumption. Year XV.2 2009"—Barbara Potrata, Leeds Institute of Health Studies