Eugenics in Late 19th-Century Feminist Utopias
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2780683 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christina Lake, Christina Bieber Lake (0000-0002-7498-6808, University of Exeter, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 77 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1277-1312 |
| Publication date | 2018-11-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Economics and Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9246 • E-ISSN: 1536-7150 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/ajes.12251 |
| OpenAlex | W2900999491 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 18 |
Late 19th-century feminist utopian fiction provides empowering examples of societies governed by women. However, these imaginary societies only exist through radical changes to women's reproductive roles. At the same time, these societies also anticipate feminist interest in eugenics through proposals to regulate marriage, eliminate unhealthy members of society, and adopt measures for the moral improvement of the human race. Elizabeth Corbett'sNew Amazonia(1889) argues that a state governed only by women would achieve high moral standards, while eugenics and strict scientific regulation would guarantee improvements in health and longevity. Mary E. Bradley Lane'sMizora(1880-1881) proposes an entirely separatist world where the elimination of men, following the development of an asexual process of reproduction, would lead to a scientifically perfect society. Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Merchant'sUnveiling a Parallel(1893), on the other hand, questions the idea of the intrinsic immorality of men, showing a utopia wherein women behave as badly as men given the same societal freedom. Instead, eugenic selection has supported evolution to a higher state of morality in which children are no longer conceived through sexual acts
Biology · Environmental ethics · Eugenics · Immorality · Morality · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Reproduction · Sociology · State (computer science) · The Imaginary · Utopia · Gender Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Law · Medical History and Research · Philosophy · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies
The subjection of women.
In the Name of Eugenics
Love and Eugenics in the Late Nineteenth Century
The Utopian Novel in America, 1886-1896
Against finality
The Death of Nature
Nymphs and Satyrs
Feminism, Utopia, and Narrative
The spinster and her enemies
Victorian Science and the "Genius" of Woman
Eugenics in Late 19th-Century Feminist Utopias
Understanding the Dialectic of Discourse and Collective Action
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2018 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |