Eugenics was a discipline founded by the British scholar Galton in 1883 to improve the genetic quality of human beings.When eugenics was introduced to the United States in the early 20th century,it quickly developed i...Eugenics was a discipline founded by the British scholar Galton in 1883 to improve the genetic quality of human beings.When eugenics was introduced to the United States in the early 20th century,it quickly developed into an influential eugenics movement that pointed in new directions to solve the social problems of the United States at that time.In American eugenics movement,eugenicists used family studies to construct the marginalized groups such as the mentally retarded,the poor,and criminals into"hereditary defectives"that would lead to the degradation of the American race.At the same time,they used intelligence tests to demonstrate the"Superiority of the Nordic Race"and to belittle other races,thereby highlighting the dangers of racial mixing.These eugenics discourses provided a plausible justification for segregation,sterilization,and marriage restrictions against marginalized groups in the United States and a"scientific"cloak for restrictive immigration policies,serving as an essential tool for exclusionists to gain support from policymakers and the public.展开更多
基金Nankai University Liberal Arts Development Foundation(No.ZB22BZ0309)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2021M701783).
文摘Eugenics was a discipline founded by the British scholar Galton in 1883 to improve the genetic quality of human beings.When eugenics was introduced to the United States in the early 20th century,it quickly developed into an influential eugenics movement that pointed in new directions to solve the social problems of the United States at that time.In American eugenics movement,eugenicists used family studies to construct the marginalized groups such as the mentally retarded,the poor,and criminals into"hereditary defectives"that would lead to the degradation of the American race.At the same time,they used intelligence tests to demonstrate the"Superiority of the Nordic Race"and to belittle other races,thereby highlighting the dangers of racial mixing.These eugenics discourses provided a plausible justification for segregation,sterilization,and marriage restrictions against marginalized groups in the United States and a"scientific"cloak for restrictive immigration policies,serving as an essential tool for exclusionists to gain support from policymakers and the public.
