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Introduction

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Abstract

As a much contested topic, post-war eugenics is inadequately researched. The reasons behind this fact are explained in this introductory chapter. It is shown that post-war eugenics was embedded in debates on population management and birth control. In this context, the process of the institutionalisation of Greek eugenics in the 1950s is unfolded. Furthermore, Barmpouti elucidates the similarities and differences between the early teachings of eugenics during the first half of the twentieth century and the post-Nazi eugenics by offering an overview of the existing bibliography while suggesting that eugenics is a diachronic phenomenon. The originality of the book is also explained by portraying the unprecedented use of archival material which revealed the untold history of the network among Greek, British and American eugenicists.

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Barmpouti, A. (2019). Introduction. In: Post-War Eugenics, Reproductive Choices and Population Policies in Greece, 1950s–1980s. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03568-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03568-6_1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-03567-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-03568-6

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