Awards

• Short-listed for Canada Prize in the Social Sciences awarded by Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences 2014 (Canada)
• Short-listed for John A. Macdonald Prize awarded by Canadian Historical Association 2014 (Canada)

Overview

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 of contemporary reproductive rights. The book also provides deep insights into the broader implications of medical experimentation, institutionalization, and health care in North America. Erika Dyck uses a range of historical evidence, including medical files, court testimony, and personal records to place mental health and intelligence at the centre of discussions regarding reproductive fitness. Examining acts of resistance alongside heavy-handed decisions to sterilize people considered ""unfit,"" Facing Eugenics illuminates how reproductive rights fit into a broader discussion of what constitutes civil liberties, modern feminism, and contemporary psychiatric survivor and disability activism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Erika Dyck
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.80cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.70cm
Weight:   0.620kg
ISBN:  

9781442644168

ISBN 10:   1442644168
Pages:   332
Publication Date:   20 December 2013
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Temporarily unavailable  
The supplier advises that this item is temporarily unavailable. It will be ordered for you and placed on backorder. Once it does come back in stock, we will ship it out to you.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Images Introduction Chapter 1: Vagrancy, Violence and Virtue: Nora Powers Chapter 2: Race, Consent and Protection: George Pierre Chapter 3: Sterilization Redefined: Violet and Irene Chapter 4: Vasectomy, Masculinity and Hyperactivity: Ken Nelson Chapter 5: From Sterilization to Patient Activism: Doreen Ella Befus Chapter 6: Appendectomy to Queen’s Court Settlement: Leilani Muir Chapter 7: Abortion, Sterilization and the Eugenics Legacy: Jane Doe Chapter 8: Conclusion Bibliography

Reviews

'I would suggest that this complicated history, one that is both sweepingly macro and intimately micro, is not only worth reading but also our responsibility to remember.' -- Jen Rinaldi Canadian Journal of Disability Studies vol 3:03:2014 'This is a terrific book which deserves a wide audience well beyond Canada.' -- Philippa Levine Histoire sociale / Social History, vol 47:95:2014 'Facing Eugenics is a wonderful book. Written in clear and accessible prose, it provides a sophisticated and nuanced account of history of eugenics and reproductive rights in Canada. It deserves wide readership in the classroom and beyond.' -- Molly Todd-Taylor Canadian Historical Review vol 96:01:2015 'Dyck situates the fascinating and important story of eugenics and sterilization in Alberta on the historiographical map with exceptional intelligence and compassion.' -- Alexandra Minna Stern Bulletin of the History of Medicine vol89:03:2015

'I would suggest that this complicated history, one that is both sweepingly macro and intimately micro, is not only worth reading but also our responsibility to remember.' -- Jen Rinaldi Canadian Journal of Disability Studies vol 3:03:2014

Author Information

Erika Dyck is Canada Research Chair in History of Medicine and an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Saskatchewan.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions