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{{short description|American historian}}
{{Short description|American historian (1948–2020)}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox writer
{{Infobox writer
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| image =
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1948|7|15}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1948|7|15}}
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|11|9|1948|7|15}}<ref>[https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?pid=197099659 Howard Paul Segal]</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|11|9|1948|7|15}}
| occupation = Historian
| occupation = Historian
| nationality = American
| nationality = American
| alma_mater = [[Franklin and Marshall College]] <small> ([[B.A.]]) </small><br/>[[Princeton University]] <small> ([[M.A.]]) ([[Ph.D.]])</small>
| education = [[Franklin and Marshall College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[Princeton University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
| subject = History of American technology, utopianism
| subject = History of American technology, utopianism
| notableworks = Technological Utopianism in American Culture
| notableworks = Technological Utopianism in American Culture
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}}
}}


'''Howard Paul Segal''' (July 15, 1948 – November 9, 2020) was an American [[historian]] who was a [[professor]] of [[history]] at the [[University of Maine]]. He specialized in research on the history of American technology and American [[utopianism]].
'''Howard Paul Segal''' (July 15, 1948 – November 9, 2020<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 26, 2021|title=In Memoriam: Howard P. Segal (1948–2020)|url=https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/march-2021/howard-p-segal-(1948%E2%80%932020)|website=Perspectives on History (AHA)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=November 13, 2020|title=Howard Paul Segal|url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?pid=197099659|website=Boston Globe}}</ref>) was an American [[historian]] who was a [[professor]] of [[history]] at the [[University of Maine]]. Specializing in the history of American technology and American [[utopianism]], he wrote well over 200 articles and authored or edited eight books including ''Technology and Utopia'', ''Technology, Pessimism, and Post-Modernism'' (coedited with Yaron Ezrahi and Everett Mendelsohn); ''Future Imperfect: The Mixed Blessings of Technology in America;'' ''Utopias: A Brief History;Technology in America'' (with Alan I Marcus); ''Technological Utopianism in American Culture;'' and ''Recasting the Machine Age.''
His best known book, ''Technological Utopianism in American Culture, Technology in America: A Brief History'', was co-written with [[Alan I. Marcus|Alan I Marcus]], and named by ''Choice'' as an Outstanding Academic Book.{{cn|date=July 2019}}


According to historian of technology Alan I Marcus, Segal was attracted to utopias "because they suggested a perfectibility that he wanted to help make true. His work labored to make institutions, governments, and other social agencies continually strive to approach that noble goal."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marcus |first=Alan |date=2021-02-26 |title="Howard P. Segal" |url=https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/march-2021/howard-p-segal-(1948%E2%80%932020) |journal=Perspectives on History}}</ref>
Since 1986, Segal's courses at the University of Maine have included the histories of both technology and science.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://umaine.edu/history/people/dr-howard-p-segal/|title=Dr Howard P Segal|website=University of Maine}}</ref>

At the heart of almost everything that Segal wrote was technology, which could be used for good or evil. Marcus explains that precisely because "technology often had unintended consequences, Segal cherished his utopian-inspiring institutions. Their representatives could be entrusted to redress wrongs, alter course, and rein in unexpected ramifications that could cause harm."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marcus |first=Alan I |date=26 February 2021 |title="Howard P Segal" |url=https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/march-2021/howard-p-segal-(1948%E2%80%932020) |journal=Perspectives on History |via=American Historical Association; Freely Accessible Arts and Humanities Journals}}</ref>


== Early life and education ==
== Early life and education ==
⚫
Segal attended [[Franklin & Marshall College]], where he completed his B.A. degree in 1970 and was awarded the Zimmerman Graduate Fellowship in History. He received his MA and PhD (1975) degrees from [[Princeton University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vqronline.org/people/howard-p-segal|title=Howard P Segal|website=VQR: A National Journal of Literature & Discussion}}</ref> His doctoral thesis, which became his first book, was titled ''Technological Utopianism and American Culture, 1830-1940.''<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/3369474|title=WorldCat Book page|oclc=3369474}}</ref>
His father owned M. Segal & Sons, a glove manufacturer in Philadelphia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/27/style/deborah-rogers-and-howard-segal-are-married.html|title=Deborah Rogers and Howard Segal are Married|website=NY Times}}</ref>

⚫
Segal attended [[Franklin & Marshall College]], where he completed his B.A. degree in 1970 and was awarded the Zimmerman Graduate Fellowship in History. He received his MA and PhD (1975) degrees at [[Princeton University]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vqronline.org/people/howard-p-segal|title=Howard P Segal|website=VQR: A National Journal of Literature & Discussion}}</ref> His doctoral thesis was titled ''Technological utopianism and American culture, 1830-1940.''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/technological-utopianism-and-american-cultue-1830-1940/oclc/3369474&referer=brief_results|title=WorldCat Book page}}</ref>


== Career ==
== Career ==
Segal's early teaching appointments were visiting instructor at Franklin and Marshall College; Taft Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer, University of Cincinnati; Killam Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer at [[Dalhousie University]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]]; assistant professor at [[University of Michigan]]; and Mellon Faculty Fellow at [[Harvard University]]. By 1986, he entered the University of Maine's History Department as an Assistant Professor, and was promoted to associate professor in 1988 and professor in 1992. He has been elected [[Bird & Bird]] Professor of History during two periods at the University of Maine: from 1996 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015. He was periodically interviewed on radio and television to discuss current events in historical perspective.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2012/01/30/segal-discusses-kennedy-conspiracy-claims-on-wzon/|title=Segal Discusses Kennedy Conspiracy Claims on WZON}}</ref>
Segal's early teaching appointments were visiting instructor at Franklin and Marshall College; Taft Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer, University of Cincinnati; Killam Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer at [[Dalhousie University]] in [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]]; Assistant Professor at [[University of Michigan]]; and Mellon Faculty Fellow at [[Harvard University]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marcus |first=Alan I |date=26 February 2021 |title="Howard P. Segal" |url=https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/march-2021/howard-p-segal-(1948%E2%80%932020) |journal=Perspectives on History |via=American Historical Association; Freely Accessible Arts and Humanities Journals}}</ref>
By 1986, he had entered the University of Maine's History Department as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1988 and professor in 1992. He was elected [[Bird & Bird]] Professor of History during two periods at the University of Maine, from 1996 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015. He was periodically interviewed on radio and television to discuss current events in historical perspective.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2012/01/30/segal-discusses-kennedy-conspiracy-claims-on-wzon/|title=Segal Discusses Kennedy Conspiracy Claims on WZON|date=30 January 2012}}</ref>


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
=== Books ===
=== Books ===


* Alan I. Marcus, & Segal, H. (1989). ''Technology in America: A Brief History''. Harcourt, Brace.
*Segal, H.P. (2006). ''Technology and Utopia.'' Johns Hopkins University Press
*Alan I. Marcus, & Segal, H. (1989). ''Technology in America: A Brief History''. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
** Named An Outstanding Academic Book for 1989 by ''Choice.''
** Named An Outstanding Academic Book for 1989 by ''Choice.''
**2nd Ed., Revised and Expanded (Harcourt Brace and Co., 1999)
⚫
* Segal, H. P. (1994). ''Future imperfect: The mixed blessings of technology in America''. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
**3rd. Ed. Revised and Expanded (MacMillan International/Bedford/St. Martin, 2018)
⚫
* Segal, H. P. (1994). ''Future Imperfect: The Mixed Blessings of Technology in America''. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
* Ezrahi, Y., Mendelsohn, E., Segal, H. P., (Eds.). (1994). ''Technology, Pessimism, and Postmodernism'' (Vol. 17). Springer Science & Business Media.
* Ezrahi, Y., Mendelsohn, E., Segal, H. P., (Eds.). (1994). ''Technology, Pessimism, and Postmodernism'' (Vol. 17). Springer Science & Business Media.
* Segal, H. P. (2005). ''Technological utopianism in American culture''. Syracuse University Press.
* Segal, H. P. (2005). ''Technological Utopianism in American Culture''. Syracuse University Press.
* Segal, H. P. (2008). ''Recasting the machine age: Henry Ford's village industries''. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
* Segal, H. P. (2008). ''Recasting the Machine Age: Henry Ford's Village Industries''. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
** Received the Henry Ford Heritage Association Annual Book Award for Best Book on Henry Ford’s Life and Legacy in 2009.
** Received the Henry Ford Heritage Association Annual Book Award for Best Book on Henry Ford’s Life and Legacy in 2009.
* Segal, H. P. (2012). ''Utopias: A brief history from ancient writings to virtual communities'' (Vol. 47). John Wiley & Sons.
* Segal, H. P. (2012). ''Utopias: A Brief History from Ancient Writings to Virtual Communities'' (Vol. 47). John Wiley & Sons.
* Segal, H.P., ed. and intro, Harold Loeb's ''Life in a Technocracy: What it Might be Like'' . Syracuse University Press, 1996


== Awards and honors ==
== Awards and honors ==
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[[Category:20th-century American historians]]
[[Category:20th-century American historians]]
[[Category:21st-century American historians]]
[[Category:21st-century American historians]]
[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]

Latest revision as of 04:07, 26 July 2024

Howard P. Segal
BornHoward Paul Segal
(1948-07-15)July 15, 1948
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 9, 2020(2020-11-09) (aged 72)
OccupationHistorian
NationalityAmerican
EducationFranklin and Marshall College (BA)
Princeton University (MA, PhD)
SubjectHistory of American technology, utopianism
Notable worksTechnological Utopianism in American Culture
Spouse
Deborah D. Rogers
​
​
(m. 1988)​
Children2

Howard Paul Segal (July 15, 1948 – November 9, 2020[1][2]) was an American historian who was a professor of history at the University of Maine. Specializing in the history of American technology and American utopianism, he wrote well over 200 articles and authored or edited eight books including Technology and Utopia, Technology, Pessimism, and Post-Modernism (coedited with Yaron Ezrahi and Everett Mendelsohn); Future Imperfect: The Mixed Blessings of Technology in America; Utopias: A Brief History;Technology in America (with Alan I Marcus); Technological Utopianism in American Culture; and Recasting the Machine Age.

According to historian of technology Alan I Marcus, Segal was attracted to utopias "because they suggested a perfectibility that he wanted to help make true. His work labored to make institutions, governments, and other social agencies continually strive to approach that noble goal."[3]

At the heart of almost everything that Segal wrote was technology, which could be used for good or evil. Marcus explains that precisely because "technology often had unintended consequences, Segal cherished his utopian-inspiring institutions. Their representatives could be entrusted to redress wrongs, alter course, and rein in unexpected ramifications that could cause harm."[4]

Early life and education

[edit]

Segal attended Franklin & Marshall College, where he completed his B.A. degree in 1970 and was awarded the Zimmerman Graduate Fellowship in History. He received his MA and PhD (1975) degrees from Princeton University.[5] His doctoral thesis, which became his first book, was titled Technological Utopianism and American Culture, 1830-1940.[6]

Career

[edit]

Segal's early teaching appointments were visiting instructor at Franklin and Marshall College; Taft Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer, University of Cincinnati; Killam Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Assistant Professor at University of Michigan; and Mellon Faculty Fellow at Harvard University.[7]

By 1986, he had entered the University of Maine's History Department as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1988 and professor in 1992. He was elected Bird & Bird Professor of History during two periods at the University of Maine, from 1996 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015. He was periodically interviewed on radio and television to discuss current events in historical perspective.[8]

Bibliography

[edit]

Books

[edit]
  • Segal, H.P. (2006). Technology and Utopia. Johns Hopkins University Press
  • Alan I. Marcus, & Segal, H. (1989). Technology in America: A Brief History. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
    • Named An Outstanding Academic Book for 1989 by Choice.
    • 2nd Ed., Revised and Expanded (Harcourt Brace and Co., 1999)
    • 3rd. Ed. Revised and Expanded (MacMillan International/Bedford/St. Martin, 2018)
  • Segal, H. P. (1994). Future Imperfect: The Mixed Blessings of Technology in America. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
  • Ezrahi, Y., Mendelsohn, E., Segal, H. P., (Eds.). (1994). Technology, Pessimism, and Postmodernism (Vol. 17). Springer Science & Business Media.
  • Segal, H. P. (2005). Technological Utopianism in American Culture. Syracuse University Press.
  • Segal, H. P. (2008). Recasting the Machine Age: Henry Ford's Village Industries. Univ of Massachusetts Press.
    • Received the Henry Ford Heritage Association Annual Book Award for Best Book on Henry Ford’s Life and Legacy in 2009.
  • Segal, H. P. (2012). Utopias: A Brief History from Ancient Writings to Virtual Communities (Vol. 47). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Segal, H.P., ed. and intro, Harold Loeb's Life in a Technocracy: What it Might be Like . Syracuse University Press, 1996

Awards and honors

[edit]
  • 2015: Society for Utopian Studies' Lyman Tower Sargent Award for Career Distinguished Scholarship..

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "In Memoriam: Howard P. Segal (1948–2020)". Perspectives on History (AHA). February 26, 2021.
  2. ^ "Howard Paul Segal". Boston Globe. November 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Marcus, Alan (2021-02-26). ""Howard P. Segal"". Perspectives on History.
  4. ^ Marcus, Alan I (26 February 2021). ""Howard P Segal"". Perspectives on History – via American Historical Association; Freely Accessible Arts and Humanities Journals.
  5. ^ "Howard P Segal". VQR: A National Journal of Literature & Discussion.
  6. ^ WorldCat Book page. OCLC 3369474.
  7. ^ Marcus, Alan I (26 February 2021). ""Howard P. Segal"". Perspectives on History – via American Historical Association; Freely Accessible Arts and Humanities Journals.
  8. ^ "Segal Discusses Kennedy Conspiracy Claims on WZON". 30 January 2012.
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