Main description:

Analyzes the Italian case study with the intention of discussing several fundamental themes of the comparative history of eugenics: the importance of the Latin eugenic model; the relationship between eugenics and fascism; the influence of Catholicism on the eugenic discourse and the complex links between genetics and eugenics. Follows its theme up to the mid-1970s. The first part of the book analyses the process of the institutionalization of Italian eugenics: its scientific and cultural origins; the impact of the First World War and the debate after the war on the themes of birth control, premarital certification and sterilization. The second part examines the relationship between eugenics and fascism, particularly highlighting two aspects: in first place, the development by the Italian fascists of an alternative model of eugenics (Latin eugenics) that aimed to compete, on an international level, with the Nordic model; in second place, the interaction between different forms of eugenics and different currents of fascist racism (biological, nationalistic, esoteric-traditional). The third part explores Italian eugenics after the Second World War.

Contents:

Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1 Between Lombroso and Pareto: the Italian way to eugenics 1.Lombroso's Way: the Problem of Degeneration 2. Pareto's Way: the Problem of the Elite 3. The Italian Committee of Eugenic Studies Chapter 2 Eugenics and dysgenics of war 1. The War as Counter-selection 2. The War as a Gymnasium 3. The War as a Laboratory Chapter 3 Regenerating Italy (1919-1924) 1. Ettore Levi and the IPAS Campaign for Birth Control 2. A Concrete Proposal: the Premarital Certificate 3. Sterilization and Euthanasia 4. The Work of the UselessA": Mental Hygiene in Italy Chapter 4 Quality through quantity: eugenics in fascist Italy 1. Corrado Gini's Hegemony: Demography and RegenerativeA" Eugenics Constitutionalism and Latin Eugenics: Nicola Pende's Biotypological Institute 3. Demography and Biotypology: the Laboratory of Statistics at Milan Catholic University Chapter 5 Eugenics and racism (1938-1943) 1. Biological Racism and Hereditarian Eugenics 2. Environmentalist Eugenics: Psychological and Anthropo-geographical Racism 3. Esoteric-traditionalist Racism and Eugenics-Julius Evola 4. Assortative Mating and Racism 5. Toward a National Genetic Centre Chapter 6 Toward a new eugenics 1. SIGE Schisms: Genetics against Eugenics 2. From Premarital Examination to Genetic Counselling 3. Eugenics and Catholic Medical Genetics: Luigi Gedda and the G. MendelA" Institute Chapter 7 Against UNESCO: Italian eugenics and American scientific racism 1. The IAAEE and The Mankind Quarterly (1959-1965) 2. Meticciato di Guerra: Luigi Gedda and Reginald Ruggles Gates 3. Corrado Gini and the Guerrilla WarA" against UNESCO 4. Epilogue: Race and Modern ScienceA" Conclusions Bibliography List of abbreviations for archive sources