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The Hour of Eugenics": Race, Gender, and Nation in Latin America
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 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. In this highly original account, Stepan sheds new light on the role of science in reformulating issues of race, gender, reproduction, and public health in an era when the focus on national identity was particularly intense. Drawing upon a rich body of evidence concerning the technical publications and professional meetings of Latin American eugenicists, she examines how they adapted eugenic principles to local contexts between the world wars. Stepan shows that Latin American eugenicists diverged considerably from their counterparts in Europe and the United States in their ideological approach and their interpretations of key texts concerning heredity.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 9, 2012
Keeping in mind that this is an academic book, Stepan is a good and entertaining writer. Her main point, that this is worth reading if you care about eugenics because it is how they look in a different context from the German, British and American ones, is both valid and cogently presented. I don't really care about eugenics, but this also had a lot to tell me about gender, race, government, and science in Latin America, which are all things I AM interested in. in particular, it was interesting to see how the various intellectual traditions were negotiated in the various cultures and (colonial) histories of the three main countries that she used as examples (Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico). I whole-heartedly recommend this and would definitely read more by this author.
August 26, 2020
É difícil distinguir o movimento sociopolítico das teorias protocientíficas que fundamentaram a eugenia. Esse livro desmistifica a visão reducionista que se costuma ter acerca desse movimento (muito baseada nas atrocidades da Alemanha Nazista), mostrando como as principais teses de uma ciência emergente na primeira metade do séc XX foram reinterpretadas e ajustadas de acordo com a situação sociopolítica de diferentes países latinoamericanos. A autora, pesquisadora na área, focou seu trabalho em três países: Brasil, Argentina e México; explorando muito bem como relações entre ciência, política e cultura geraram visões próprias sobre a eugenia em cada um deles, associadas a práticas nesse sentido. Práticas que, muitas vezes, apesar de se autointitularem "eugênicas", curiosamente acabavam não sendo reconhecidas como tal por países europeus, ou mesmo pelos EUA. O livro mostra como a eugenia no início do século XX foi um movimento heterogêneo, atraindo partidos de direita, mas também de esquerda, homens e também mulheres, incluindo até mesmo alguns poucos movimentos feministas. Essa história cheia de controvérsias é intrigante, e nos ajuda a perceber os reflexos da eugenia na cultura desses países, sendo apresentada pela autora em um discurso objetivo e muito bem referenciado.
April 22, 2017
For those born in the southern continent and who have a deep curiosity as to the social, religious and ethnic development of the land, you will find "The Hour of Eugenics: Race, Gender, Nation and Darwin in Latin America" by Nancy leys Stepan, an interesting and very stimulating read. Before eugenics was en vogue here in the United States European elites had convinced philosophers, ethicists and medical professionals of Latin America to embrace the 'positive' aspects of eugenics. The “social question” of eugenics became as prevalent among 'sud americanos' as the question of the origins. The grip of the Roman Catholic Church on the consciences of the masses, with it's account for the beginning of life, was consistently being undermined by Darwin just as it was here in the United States. But with the advent of the eugenics reforms and movements a new inspiration captured the imagination of Latinos, the supposed betterment of the race in Latin America. Thus, N.L Stepan's comparison of the eugenics movements in Latin America with the United States and Germany is interesting because she demonstrates the steady progression of Darwinistic influence upon the sciences and it's deadly consequences when implemented. If you think I'm overstating the link and consequences between Darwin and Eugenics you would do well to consult Richard Weikart's tome "From Darwin to Hitler: Evolutionary Ethics, Eugenics, and Racism in Germany."
Adolf Hitler notwithstanding, Eugenics “is the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics).” Eugenics was a widely received faith among American progressive liberals after 1900. As it regards Latin America though, Eugenics began gaining a foothold in the southern continent for a few reasons. First, Latin America, long considered the child of Europe, has sought to emulate Europe in virtually every way possible. This is still true today. Culturally, socially, academically, and specifically in the medical field, Latin American elites have always had a religious cultural sense of wanting a national regeneration of sorts and the only way they believe this can be done is by emulating a continent that has been around for two millennium. “European countries had long been symbols of all that was supposedly civilized and advanced, compared to Latin America’s so called barbarism and backwardness.” In this sense eugenics had a hearing among the elites of Latin America. Another reason for the rise of eugenics in Latin America was the fact that the state of academics was rising rather quickly, especially in the area of science. “Between 1880 and 1930 there was considerable intellectual growth and institutional consolidation that took place.” Societies, schools, philanthropies dedicated to scientific advancement were established and helped to set first Brazil and then the rest of the continent on a course for growth. Although emulating Europe was to be expected and granting a proper hearing on the subject of eugenics was important, among the elites, was it a sufficient enough reason to embrace it? To answer this we must evaluate the “social question and answer of Latin America.”
Elites in Latin America accepted and began disseminating the idea and teaching of eugenics because they questioned the capacities and capabilities of the minority cultures that had developed throughout the continent, especially the black and mulattos. As you know Latin America is a fertile continent with deep and thorough race mixing by inter-racial marriage. Thus, believing that Latin Americans were either inferior, slow, or backward, eugenics was supposedly a scientific way in which an explanation and solution could be offered to provide a resolution to the ‘social problem’ of Latin America’s ‘unfit, lazy and backward people’. For example, elites believed it a problem that so many black and mulatto’s in Brazil could not read or write. Of course many of the elites conveniently forgot that slavery and hundreds of years of repression would do that to a people. Stepan tells us that the “misery
and ill health of the poor had crystallized in public consciousness as a national issue-as ‘the social question’. The group that most agitated physicians, sanitation experts, and reformers in Brazil was largely black and mulatto; these professionals…believed that the poor were poor because they were unhygienic, dirty, ignorant, and hereditarily unfit.” Therefore, it is safe to say that the eugenic reforms of Latin America were intended for all non European races. But if the eugenic reforms were intended to ‘purify’ the nations what does the eugenics movement say about the Latin American view of the masses and of race? Can this be perceived as “positive eugenics”?
Eugenics is the proposition that the scientific breeding of men and women is possible and desirable for the purpose of advancing the race. Eugenics is driven by the desire to purify the physical appearance, mental capacity and morality of the given nation where eugenics is practiced. But eugenics as a science does not stand or live alone in a vacuum. Eugenics cannot be separated from the scientific faith that informs and fuels its very life. Darwinism gives eugenics it’s moral and supposed scientific basis for its existence and at the core it teaches that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. All living organisms have come about by random chance and are all animals with no intrinsic immaterial value beyond their material selves. Furthermore, as Latin American intellectuals continued reading the works of important European scientific thinkers “they embraced as a form of progressive knowledge, as an alternative to the religious view of reality, a means of establishing a new form of cultural power. Evolution was adopted especially enthusiastically as a secular, materialist, modern view of the world. The social Darwinists taken up by the intellectuals and scientists served as 'meta languages,’ providing rich, multivalent frameworks for the analysis of history of the Latin American peoples and their destinies.” Therefore, if we were to apply the Darwinian eugenics worldview to the gender issues of nineteenth century Latin America we could say that the inferior place of Latin American women fueled the structure of its health policy. That is, if monitoring the female body and creating the perfect mother was a good justification for the compulsory registration of pregnant women and enforced medical exams for the 'good' of the baby and future citizens among the nations of the South American continent, then for the sake of propogating an advanced and ‘fit’ race it was worthwhile to do so. Thus, within the bodies of mothers, the elites expected a new nation would be born, and they would see to it that through the socio-political dictates the state would own the body of the woman, and as prescribed by their politics, would gain a foothold.
Eugenics inevitably leads to measures that are unethical and unbiblical. It attempts to place humans in power to determine that which only God can ethically do. That is, to determine who lives and who doesn’t, who is born and who is not. If we were to accept the biological presuppositions of eugenics, those Darwinian assumptions concerning mankind positing that the race of man is a highly evolved race of animals, we ought not be surprised when there are calls to eliminate any people for the sole reason that they are ‘unfit’ to be humans or because they would lack a quality life if they were allowed to live. In this sense the idea that eugenics can be positive is in reality a lie. Latin Americans have a rich history of which to be proud. They have made great contributions to the culture and the world at large. I trust that the Christians of the Latin American world would rise and counter any lie posited by the philosophers pushing Eugenics and take back every square inch of their rich society so that it will reflect the image of God
Adolf Hitler notwithstanding, Eugenics “is the study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics).” Eugenics was a widely received faith among American progressive liberals after 1900. As it regards Latin America though, Eugenics began gaining a foothold in the southern continent for a few reasons. First, Latin America, long considered the child of Europe, has sought to emulate Europe in virtually every way possible. This is still true today. Culturally, socially, academically, and specifically in the medical field, Latin American elites have always had a religious cultural sense of wanting a national regeneration of sorts and the only way they believe this can be done is by emulating a continent that has been around for two millennium. “European countries had long been symbols of all that was supposedly civilized and advanced, compared to Latin America’s so called barbarism and backwardness.” In this sense eugenics had a hearing among the elites of Latin America. Another reason for the rise of eugenics in Latin America was the fact that the state of academics was rising rather quickly, especially in the area of science. “Between 1880 and 1930 there was considerable intellectual growth and institutional consolidation that took place.” Societies, schools, philanthropies dedicated to scientific advancement were established and helped to set first Brazil and then the rest of the continent on a course for growth. Although emulating Europe was to be expected and granting a proper hearing on the subject of eugenics was important, among the elites, was it a sufficient enough reason to embrace it? To answer this we must evaluate the “social question and answer of Latin America.”
Elites in Latin America accepted and began disseminating the idea and teaching of eugenics because they questioned the capacities and capabilities of the minority cultures that had developed throughout the continent, especially the black and mulattos. As you know Latin America is a fertile continent with deep and thorough race mixing by inter-racial marriage. Thus, believing that Latin Americans were either inferior, slow, or backward, eugenics was supposedly a scientific way in which an explanation and solution could be offered to provide a resolution to the ‘social problem’ of Latin America’s ‘unfit, lazy and backward people’. For example, elites believed it a problem that so many black and mulatto’s in Brazil could not read or write. Of course many of the elites conveniently forgot that slavery and hundreds of years of repression would do that to a people. Stepan tells us that the “misery
and ill health of the poor had crystallized in public consciousness as a national issue-as ‘the social question’. The group that most agitated physicians, sanitation experts, and reformers in Brazil was largely black and mulatto; these professionals…believed that the poor were poor because they were unhygienic, dirty, ignorant, and hereditarily unfit.” Therefore, it is safe to say that the eugenic reforms of Latin America were intended for all non European races. But if the eugenic reforms were intended to ‘purify’ the nations what does the eugenics movement say about the Latin American view of the masses and of race? Can this be perceived as “positive eugenics”?
Eugenics is the proposition that the scientific breeding of men and women is possible and desirable for the purpose of advancing the race. Eugenics is driven by the desire to purify the physical appearance, mental capacity and morality of the given nation where eugenics is practiced. But eugenics as a science does not stand or live alone in a vacuum. Eugenics cannot be separated from the scientific faith that informs and fuels its very life. Darwinism gives eugenics it’s moral and supposed scientific basis for its existence and at the core it teaches that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. All living organisms have come about by random chance and are all animals with no intrinsic immaterial value beyond their material selves. Furthermore, as Latin American intellectuals continued reading the works of important European scientific thinkers “they embraced as a form of progressive knowledge, as an alternative to the religious view of reality, a means of establishing a new form of cultural power. Evolution was adopted especially enthusiastically as a secular, materialist, modern view of the world. The social Darwinists taken up by the intellectuals and scientists served as 'meta languages,’ providing rich, multivalent frameworks for the analysis of history of the Latin American peoples and their destinies.” Therefore, if we were to apply the Darwinian eugenics worldview to the gender issues of nineteenth century Latin America we could say that the inferior place of Latin American women fueled the structure of its health policy. That is, if monitoring the female body and creating the perfect mother was a good justification for the compulsory registration of pregnant women and enforced medical exams for the 'good' of the baby and future citizens among the nations of the South American continent, then for the sake of propogating an advanced and ‘fit’ race it was worthwhile to do so. Thus, within the bodies of mothers, the elites expected a new nation would be born, and they would see to it that through the socio-political dictates the state would own the body of the woman, and as prescribed by their politics, would gain a foothold.
Eugenics inevitably leads to measures that are unethical and unbiblical. It attempts to place humans in power to determine that which only God can ethically do. That is, to determine who lives and who doesn’t, who is born and who is not. If we were to accept the biological presuppositions of eugenics, those Darwinian assumptions concerning mankind positing that the race of man is a highly evolved race of animals, we ought not be surprised when there are calls to eliminate any people for the sole reason that they are ‘unfit’ to be humans or because they would lack a quality life if they were allowed to live. In this sense the idea that eugenics can be positive is in reality a lie. Latin Americans have a rich history of which to be proud. They have made great contributions to the culture and the world at large. I trust that the Christians of the Latin American world would rise and counter any lie posited by the philosophers pushing Eugenics and take back every square inch of their rich society so that it will reflect the image of God
October 15, 2021
Interesting, yet not very engaging.
Read
July 27, 2011Solid account of how eugenic ideas were received and elaborated in Latin America - and how they influenced developments in social policy, especially in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil. A major theme is the social construction of science itself, which is always necessarily anchored in culture, time and place etc
April 14, 2012
A really interesting look at the ways eugenics were adapted by multiple Latin American country to fit their own needs.
April 23, 2008
There is, or can be, and almost always has been, a fine line between nationalism and racism.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews