Facing Eugenics

By Erika Dyck,

Book cover of Facing Eugenics: Reproduction, Sterilization, and the Politics of Choice

Book description

Facing Eugenics is a social history of sexual sterilization operations in twentieth-century Canada. Looking at real-life experiences of men and women who, either coercively or voluntarily, participated in the largest legal eugenics program in Canada, it considers the impact of successive legal policies and medical practices on shaping our understanding…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Facing Eugenics as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is the most important book to read if you want to understand (a) eugenics generally and (b) how it played out in Alberta, the part of Canada where these ideas got the most traction. Dyck is a great historian, but even better, she does not forget that history is about real people. Her history is detailed and thorough, but it is not dry. She uses all kinds of interesting sources including courtroom evidence and personal records to bring the issues to life. She also moves the story forward by writing about abortion in the 1970s and 1980s and shows…

From C.'s list on how eugenics came to Canada.

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