Politics of Eugenics: Productionism, Population, and National Welfare

232 Pages·2013·5.1 MB·English

by  Alberto Spektorowski

Politics of Eugenics
This book analyzes whether the “new debate on genetics” owes a debt to eugenic
practices by welfare democracies of the 1930s and 1940s. More specifically, the
question is whether precisely the same “eugenic rationale” used in the 1930s is
philosophical akin to a new rationality unfolding in some Western European
welfare societies that find themselves trapped in the modern dilemma of choos-
ing between increasing immigration and population growth that leads to eco-
nomic prosperity on the one hand, or halting immigration, protecting national
identity, and suffering economic stagnation on the other.
By analyzing policies of integration and assisted reproduction technology
(ART) in Northern European nation states such as Sweden, Finland, Denmark as
well as in Israel, we find a historical continuity between “old eugenics” and
current reproductive and family planning subsidies and integration policies. By
focusing on the concept of welfare productionism, we trace a continuing ration-
ale between the eugenic policies of the past and current investments of ART.
These programs are rationalized as universal programs for the whole of the
population. However, in this book the authors suggest that they served the goal
of reproducing a productivist, national middle class which are enticed to
reproduce.
This work will be of great interest to students and scholars of racism, extrem-
ism, European politics, population politics, and the social impact of science and
technology.
Alberto Spektorowski is a Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Tel Aviv Uni-
versity, Israel.
Liza Ireni- Saban is an Assistant Professor in the Lauder School of Government,
Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel.
Routledge studies in extremism and democracy
Series Editors: Roger Eatwell
University of Bath
and
Matthew Goodwin
University of Nottingham.
Founding Series Editors: Roger Eatwell
University of Bath
and
Cas Mudde
University of Antwerp-U FSIA.
This new series encompasses academic studies within the broad fields of
“extremism” and “democracy.” These topics have traditionally been considered
largely in isolation by academics. A key focus of the series, therefore, is the
(inter-)relation between extremism and democracy. Works will seek to answer
questions such as to what extent “extremist” groups pose a major threat to demo-
cratic parties, or how democracy can respond to extremism without undermining
its own democratic credentials.
The books encompass two strands:
Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy includes books with an intro-
ductory and broad focus which are aimed at students and teachers. These books
will be available in hardback and paperback. Titles include:
Understanding Terrorism in America
From the Klan to al Qaeda
Christopher Hewitt
Fascism and the Extreme Right
Roger Eatwell
Racist Extremism in Central and Eastern Europe
Edited by Cas Mudde
Political Parties and Terrorist Groups (2nd Edition)
Leonard Weinberg, Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger
The New Extremism in 21st Century Britain
Edited by Roger Eatwell and Matthew Goodwin
New British Fascism
Rise of the British National Party
Matthew Goodwin
The End of Terrorism?
Leonard Weinberg
Mapping the Extreme Right in Contemporary Europe
From local to transnational
Edited by Andrea Mammone, Emmanuel Godin and Brian Jenkins
Varieties of Right-W ing Extremism in Europe
Edited by Andrea Mammone, Emmanuel Godin and Brian Jenkins
Routledge Research in Extremism and Democracy offers a forum for innovative
new research intended for a more specialist readership. These books will be in
hardback only. Titles include:
1 Uncivil Society?
Contentious politics in post-C ommunist Europe
Edited by Petr Kopecky and Cas Mudde
2 Political Parties and Terrorist Groups
Leonard Weinberg and Ami Pedahzur
3 Western Democracies and the New Extreme Right Challenge
Edited by Roger Eatwell and Cas Mudde
4 Confronting Right Wing Extremism and Terrorism in the USA
George Michael
5 Anti- Political Establishment Parties
A comparative analysis
Amir Abedi
6 American Extremism
History, politics and the militia
D. J. Mulloy
7 The Scope of Tolerance
Studies on the costs of free expression and freedom of the press
Raphael Cohen-A lmagor
8 Extreme Right Activists in Europe
Through the magnifying glass
Bert Klandermans and Nonna Mayer
9 Ecological Politics and Democratic Theory
Mathew Humphrey
10 Reinventing the Italian Right
Territorial politics, populism and ‘post-F ascism’
Carlo Ruzza and Stefano Fella
11 Political Extremes
An investigation into the history of terms and concepts from antiquity to the
present
Uwe Backes
12 The Populist Radical Right in Poland
The patriots
Rafal Pankowski
13 Social and Political Thought of Julius Evola
Paul Furlong
14 Radical Left Parties in Europe
Luke March
15 Counterterrorism in Turkey
Policy choices and policy effects toward the Kurdistan workers’ party
(PKK)
Mustafa Coşar Ünal
16 Class Politics and the Radical Right
Edited by Jens Rydgren
17 Rethinking the French New Right
Alternatives to modernity
Tamir Bar- On
18 Ending Terrorism in Italy
Anna Bull and Philip Cooke
19 Politics of Eugenics
Productionism, population, and national welfare
Alberto Spektorowski and Liza Ireni-S aban
Politics of Eugenics
Productionism, population, and national
welfare
Alberto Spektorowski and
Liza Ireni- Saban
RO Routledge
U
TLED Taylor & Francis Group
G
E
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2013
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2013 Alberto Spektorowski and Liza Ireni-S aban
The right of Alberto Spektorowski and Liza Ireni-S aban to be identified as
authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Spektorowski, Alberto,
Politics of eugenics: productionism, population, and national welfare /
Alberto Spektorowski and Lisa Saban.
pages cm. – (Routledge studies in extremism and democracy; 19)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Eugenics. 2. Biopolitics. 3. Emigration and immigration–Government
policy. 4. Social policy. 5. Multiculturalism. I. Saban, Lisa. II. Title.
HQ751.S677 2013
363.9'2–dc23
2013002753
ISBN: 978-0-415-81431-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-74023-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Contents
Introduction 1
1 Eugenics and productive socialism 19
2 From “race hygiene” to “national-p roductivist hygiene” 50
3 The bioethical turn to biopolitics: the emergence of
bio- nationalism 92
4 The bio- regulation return of eugenics for a new century of
massive immigration and multiculturalism 111
5 European countries and eugenic productivism gospel—
potential convergence trends in eugenic productivist
population policy 132
Conclusions 164
Notes 178
Bibliography 185
Index 209
This page intentionally left blank
Introduction
In this book we analyze an item that most people in liberal societies would wish
to obscure, and even deny. There is no question that a backlash against liberal
multiculturalism is sensed in most Western liberal democratic societies. It is
clear to all that an increasing number of voices in these societies are being raised
against immigration and in favor of what could roughly be defined as the defense
of national culture and the national stock. With this background, several liberals
might ask themselves whether it is possible that modern democratic societies are
beginning to review social engineering policies reminiscent of eugenic policies
of the past.
On September 23, 2008, John LaBruzzo, a Republican from Metairie, Louisi-
ana, raised a heated debate by offering $1000 to women receiving government
welfare if they willingly chose to be sterilized. According to LaBruzzo, “People
receiving government aid such as food stamps and publicly subsidized housing
are reproducing at a faster rate than more affluent, better educated people who
presumably pay more tax revenue to the government.”1 Although such an insens-
itive statement has no place in liberal democracy, it reveals that eugenics was
never actually removed from the world.
In a conference on the world financial crisis at the School of International and
Public Affairs, Columbia University (February 2009), Professor Joseph Stiglitz
notes in relation to Western democracies’ management of the financial system:
“. . . Western capitalist societies affected by the world financial crises have started
to nationalize banks. However, it is important for liberal governments not to
define nationalization as ‘nationalization’.” Other concepts are used to define a
phenomenon whose effects in the psychology of economic activity might be
negative.
In the same vein, there are concepts in the realm of health and welfare pol-
icies that liberals in open, multicultural societies would hardly want to hear, such
as population problems, national hygiene, “national productionism,” and eugen-
ics. Most analysts worldwide would not have much difficulty relating the ideas
of eugenic policies and national productionist ideas to the Nazi and Fascist
regimes.
Indeed, as a mixture of science and policy, as a discipline and social move-
ment, eugenics lies at the interface of biological science and society.2 This