May 25th: “Perspectives on the Eugenic Mind”, supported by the ARC Laureate project “A Philosophy of Medicine for the 21st Century” and the Politics, Governance and Ethics Program of the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney.
This is half-day symposium features Rob Wilson (philosophy), Lynette Russell (history, indigenous studies), Evelleen Richards (history of science), Hans Pols (history of medicine and decolonization), and Adam Hochman (philosophy of race).
Part science and part social movement, eugenics emerged in the late nineteenth century as a tool for human improvement. In response to perceived threats of criminality, moral degeneration, feeble-mindedness, and “the rising tide of color,” eugenic laws and social policies aimed to better the human race by regulating reproductive choice through science and technology. In his new book The Eugenic Mind Project, Rob Wilson examines eugenic thought and practice — from forced sterilization to prenatal screening — drawing on his experience working with eugenics survivors.
