Biopolitics in Central and Eastern Europe in the 20th Century: Fearing for the Nation

The field of biopolitics examines health, hygiene, birth rates, fertility, sexuality, life expectancy, and demography, and this book provides a comprehensive view of these issues in Central and Eastern Europe in the twentieth century. The cataclysms of imperial collapse, World War (s), and the Holocaust created unique conditions for governing life and death, and the volume showcases the diversity of biopolitical regimes in their regional and global context. It highlights the similarities between countries, such as the notion of an endangered nation, and how ideological schemes and post-imperial experiences complicate Western understanding of democratic participatory and authoritarian repressive biopolitics.

Format: Hardback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 21 October 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The realm of biopolitics encompasses a wide range of topics, including health and hygiene, birth rates, fertility and sexuality, life expectancy, and demography, as well as eugenics and racial regimes. This groundbreaking book offers a comprehensive exploration of these issues in Central and Eastern Europe during the twentieth century. The aftermath of imperial collapse, World War (s), and the Holocaust, as well as the emergence of state socialism after 1945, created unique circumstances for governing life and death. This volume brings together the latest research and empirical studies from the region, showcasing the diversity of biopolitical regimes in their regional and global contexts. From the hunger relief programs for Hungarian children after the First World War to the abortion legislation in communist Poland, the book highlights the similarities and complexities of biopolitical strategies in this area. It emphasizes how biopolitical approaches often revolved around the notion of an endangered nation and how ideological schemes and post-imperial experiences in Eastern Europe further complicate Western understandings of democratic participatory and authoritarian repressive biopolitics. By shifting the geographical focus, this book encourages scholars and students of social and human sciences to reexamine established perspectives on the history of population management and the history of Europe.

Weight: 670g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367751234