Anarchism and eugenics : an unlikely convergence, 1890-1940 / Richard Cleminson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cleminson, Richard, author.

Series:

Contemporary anarchist studies (Manchester, England)

Contemporary anarchist studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Anarchism--Philosophy.

Anarchism.

Eugenics--Philosophy.

Eugenics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (212 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2019.

Summary:

This book focuses on the apparently surprising convergence between anarchism and eugenics. By tracing the reception of eugenic ideas within five different anarchist movements -Argentina, England, France, Portugal and Spain - the book argues that, in fact, there is ample evidence for anarchist interest in, and implementation of, some form of eugenics. The author argues that this intersection between anarchism and eugenics can be understood as an emanation from anarchism's nineteenth-century legacy, which harnessed science as a means to change the social world and an ideological commitment to voluntarism as a political praxis. Through the articulation of interest in birth control, 'neo-Malthusianism', freedom to choose for women and revolutionary objectives, many anarchists across these five countries provided the basis for the creation of 'anarchist eugenics' in the early twentieth century.

Contents:

The 'paradox' of anarchism and eugenics

Science, revolution and progress : the constitutive terrain of anarchist eugenics

Early discourse on eugenics within transnational anarchism, 1890-1920

From neo-Malthusianism to eugenics as a 'revolutionary conquest', 1920-1937

Conclusion : anarchism, governmentality, eugenics.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 06 Mar 2026).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781526124494

1526124491

9781526146663

1526146665

9781526124470

1526124475

OCLC:

1111939962