Description
Book SynopsisIn a series of revealing essays,
Popular Eugenics demonstrates that eugenic thought persisted in science and culture as well as in social policy and goes a long way toward explaining the durability of eugenic thinking and its effects on social policy in the United States.
Trade ReviewToo often, popular culture historical topics receive a cursory glance. In contrast, Popular Eugenics is able to tease out significant historical themes from targeted analyses.... the book should be lauded for giving equal time to visual culture as it does to written culture. * Journalism History *
This fascinating collection on eugenics during the 1930s offers a vantage point on ‘ordinary eugenics.’... Their most provocative argument is that the ubiquity of eugenics in mass culture may be the most important explanation for why draconian policies attracted widespread support during the New Deal. * The Historian *
Currell and Cogdell do a wonderful job of showcasing the complexity of the eugenic movement during the 1930s. More importantly, they do a service to readers by showing that even as eugenicists endured a widening public critique, they never lost their general sense of racial and class superiority or bias. * Indiana Magazine of History *
