C4. Roundtable Everything Everywhere All at Once: Historical Legacies of Eugenics Kathryn Irving, University of Melbourne
Catherine Mas, Florida International University
Michael Rembis, University at Buffalo
Sarah Rose, University of Texas at Arlington
Since Francis Galton coined the term “eugenics” in 1883, its meaning has been far from stable. As historian Alexandra Minna Stern recognised two decades ago, if eugenics is about “better breeding,” interpretations hinge around contested definitions of “better.” Although many scholars come at eugenics through its association with race and ethnicity, it is also central to histories of disability and labor, medicine and public health, genetics and the social sciences, gender, sexuality, and reproductive rights … Eugenic logic is not confined to the past, but continues to shape debates about ideal personhood – from molecular genetics to public policy.
This roundtable brings together historians from diverse backgrounds to add complexity and richness to historical analysis of eugenics. Rather than suggesting that eugenics can be “anything to anyone,” we use intersectional approaches to argue that analysis of eugenics requires historical specificity. We reflect on our historical research, public engagement, and teaching work; we will also draw on the experiences and expertise of our audience.
Michael Rembis explores the relationships between racism, ablism, and gender and sexuality in histories of eugenics. Sarah Rose examines how ideas of productivity shape access to civil rights. Catherine Mas considers the intersections between anthropology and racial science in Latin America. Kate Irving reflects on the continuities between nineteenth century institutionalization and contemporary genomic testing for disabled children.
The roundtable will demonstrate how using multiple lenses allows us to more accurately define and describe the various eugenics movements of the long twentieth century, and highlight the sometimes unexpected connections between eugenic advocates. Finally, we will consider the historian’s role in contemporary debates about racial justice, reproductive choice, disability rights, and genetic technologies – these are the legacies of eugenics.
