The History of East-Central European Eugenics, 1900-1945

A number of things make this volume extremely useful for scholars of eugenics ... One immediate strength lies in the richness of the sources used ... Another is the nuanced and complex approach contributors take to exploring the autarchic eugenic traditions of their individual states ... while, at the same time, detailing attempts to establish common eugenic values ... This extremely well-written and thoroughly-researched volume will provide scholars of eugenics and related subjects with a wealth of information and primary sources. It makes a major contribution to the study of eugenic thought. * Social History of Medicine * This excellent collection of essays is more than an introduction to East-Central European eugenics. It is a detailed investigation illuminating a rather dark period of European history ... [and] an essential read for scholars interested in both the general and specific aspects of European eugenics. * Journal of Historical Geography * This volume succeeds admirably ... [in] provid[ing] an invaluable new perspective on the transmission and adaptation of eugenic ideas in countries, which, until recently have not been part of the so-called mainstream. * European History Quarterly * The History of East-Central European Eugenics is a landmark on the subject. Providing an excellent balance of commentaries, translated primary sources, biographies, and bibliographies for further reading, it is, moreover, a model for collected books of this type in any field. Scholars and students in a range of academic disciplines, including those in medical professions, will find this book not only a useful guide to the history of eugenics in East-Central Europe but also a window into the history of science and society in modern Europe. * Medical History * With rich materials and insights, [this book] would certain[ly] help further the agenda of future comparative studies in the pursuit of a global history of eugenics. * Slavonic and East European Review * Turda's book is truly fascinating. Having read it, I realise how little did I know about my neighbours' history and culture and indeed about the true history of my people too. I warmly recommend it. * Orvostrtneti Kzlemnyek [Bloomsbury translation] * [A] remarkable new edited collection ... With such a wide breadth of countries, languages and regions to examine, Turda has set himself up for a monumental task. The books impressive length 656 pages in hardback is a testimony to how seriously he and his collaborators have made an effort to meet this challenge ... The breadth of translated materials, coupled with the valuable context offered by the biographical portraits and introductory sections, makes this book an invaluable resource for any scholars studying eugenics. * CritCom * The tasks undertaken in these two books are remarkably ambitious and are executed with much sophistication and erudition ... The growing literature on eugenics will be significantly enriched by these two publications. * Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society [joint-reviewed alongside Latin Eugenics in Comparative Perspective] * Public interest in the history of eugenics has so far focused on North America and Northern Europe. It has concentrated on extreme consequences like compulsory eugenic sterilization and racist population policies in Germany and the United States. This volume on eugenics in East-Central Europe presents an eye-opening variety of eugenic ideas and visions. It demonstrates the great range of eugenics as a factor in social, cultural and political developments in the first half of the 20th century - a historical lesson to remember in present debates about human reproduction policies. * Nils Roll-Hansen, Professor Emeritus, University of Oslo, Norway * Comprehensive, incisive, and authoritative, this ground-breaking book on East-Central European eugenics is essential reading. It establishes a whole new geography through which we can understand and

Marius Turda is Reader in 20th Century Central and Eastern European Biomedicine in the Department of History at Oxford Brookes University, UK. He is the author of Modernism and Eugenics (2010) and Eugenics and Nation in Early 20th Century Hungary (2014).

Introduction (Marius Turda, Oxford Brookes University) Part I - State-Orientated Eugenic Movements 1. Austria Overview (Thomas Mayer, University of Vienna) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 2. Poland Overview (Kamila Uzarczyk, Wroclaw Medical University) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 3. Czechoslovakia (Bohemia and Moravia): Overview (Michal imunek, Instiute for Contemporary History, Prague) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 4. Hungary Overview (Marius Turda, Oxford Brookes University) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 5. Romania I. Overview (Marius Turda, Oxford Brookes University) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 6. Yugoslavia I. Slovenia Overview (Ana Cergol Paradi, University of Ljubljana) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 7. Yugoslavia II. Croatia Overview (Vjera Duic, University of Zagreb) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 8. Yugoslavia III. Serbia Overview (Vladimir Petrovic, Institute for Contemporary History, Belgrade) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography Part II - Minority Eugenic Movements 9. Yugoslavia IV. Volksdeutsche Eugenics in Vojvodina Overview (Filip Krcmar, University of Novi Sad) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography 10. Romania II. Saxon Eugenics in Transylvania Overview (Tudor Georgescu, Oxford Brookes University) Main Eugenicists and Key Texts Glossary Bibliography Appendix: Eugenic Societies in East-Central Europe Index