Eugenics was a term coined in 1883 to name the scientific and social theory which advocated "race improvement" through selective human breeding. In Europe and the United States the eugenics movement found many supporters before it was finally discredited by its association with the racist ideology of Nazi Germany. Examining for the first time how eugenics was taken up by scientists and social reformers in Latin America, Nancy Leys Stepan compares the eugenics movements in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina with the more familiar cases of Britain, the United States, and Germany.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"'The Hour of Eugenics' serves as an important corrective to the myopic vision underlying much of the older historiography of the movement. . . . A sophisticated, non-reductionist treatment of an important topic. . . . A splendid book."-Journal of the History of Medicine
"In a thoughtful and carefully researched book, Nancy Stepan examines the political, cultural, and scientific roles of eugenics in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico from the 1910s through the 1940s. . . . She skillfully shows the ideological dualities resulting from eugenic practices. . . . An excellent addition to the literature on eugenics and the history of science in Latin America."-Medical History
"Stepan's warning regarding the politics of scientific interpretation in the future seems most appropriate. . . . This is an important book, meticulously done, and will be of significant value to Latin Americanists (especially Brazilianists), to historians of science and medicine and to those concerned with the history of ideas as well as those interested in the rise (and fall?) of eugenics."-American Historical Review
"Race is the primary focus in Nancy Leys Stepan's fascinating account of the fortunes of eugenic ideas and policies in the notoriously racially mixed setting of Latin America. . . . Stepan has now made a significant contribution to an international picture of the development of race and population policies. It is particularly useful in showing the remarkable plasticity of racist discourses on reproduction."-Signs --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"In a thoughtful and carefully researched book, Nancy Stepan examines the political, cultural, and scientific roles of eugenics in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico from the 1910s through the 1940s. . . . She skillfully shows the ideological dualities resulting from eugenic practices. . . . An excellent addition to the literature on eugenics and the history of science in Latin America."-Medical History
"Stepan's warning regarding the politics of scientific interpretation in the future seems most appropriate. . . . This is an important book, meticulously done, and will be of significant value to Latin Americanists (especially Brazilianists), to historians of science and medicine and to those concerned with the history of ideas as well as those interested in the rise (and fall?) of eugenics."-American Historical Review
"Race is the primary focus in Nancy Leys Stepan's fascinating account of the fortunes of eugenic ideas and policies in the notoriously racially mixed setting of Latin America. . . . Stepan has now made a significant contribution to an international picture of the development of race and population policies. It is particularly useful in showing the remarkable plasticity of racist discourses on reproduction."-Signs --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
About the Author
Nancy Leys Stepan is Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University. She is the author of Eradication, "The Hour of Eugenics": Race, Gender, and Nation in Latin America and Picturing Tropical Nature, all from Cornell.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Start for Learning about Eugenics in Latin America,
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This review is from: The Hour of Eugenics": Race, Gender, and Nation in Latin America (Paperback)
I used this book for a senior thesis paper. It was a good starting point for an overview of eugenics in Latin America. The downside to this book is that most of the information is a little old and a lot more has been written. What I really like about this book is that it lead me to other sources.
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