Reproductive racism: Migration, Birth Control and The Specter of Population

Population is a dangerous political category that is intertwined with racist and class-based valorization and devaluation of different lives. The book explores how demographic knowledge production and states' grip on population intertwine, introducing the concept of the Malthusian matrix to understand how class-selective and racist hierarchies within population narratives are combined with gendered policies of reproductive bodies and behaviors. Several chapters explore current reproductive racism, establishing a hierarchy between the birth of desirable and undesirable people. Reproductive racism is also effective in migration policy strategies, with narratives about migrant birth rates circulating among ultra-right forces and seemingly apolitical demographic policy consultancy. State-theoretical approaches and the intersectional feminist concept of reproductive justice provide tools for critique and resistance.

Format: Hardback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 04 July 2023
Publisher: Anthem Press

Population is a perilous political category that cannot be separated from the racist and class-based valorization and devaluation of different lives. This phenomenon is evident in various global initiatives, such as contraceptive implant programs and right-wing anti-immigration discourses, which legitimize the states control over childbearing and mobility. The consequences are multifaceted, encompassing reproductive racism and restrictive border regimes. At the same time, global social inequalities and racial capitalist extractivism remain largely ignored.

The book delves into the intricate relationship between demographic knowledge production and the states control over population. It introduces the concept of the Malthusian matrix to understand how class-selective and racist hierarchies within population narratives are intertwined with gendered policies of reproductive bodies and behaviors.

Several chapters explore current reproductive racism, establishing a hierarchy between the birth of desirable and undesirable people. For instance, in Germany, an upward redistributive family policy is promoting births within the privileged middle classes. Meanwhile, international population programs aim to increase the use of long-acting contraceptives in the Global South, often within a market-oriented setting of Big Pharma promotion. Reproductive racism is also evident in migration policy strategies, with narratives about migrant birth rates circulating among ultra-right forces and seemingly apolitical demographic policy consultancy.

The final sections of the book discuss state-theoretical approaches and the intersectional feminist concept of reproductive justice to provide tools for critique and resistance. By examining the intersection of population, racism, and class, the book offers a critical analysis of the ways in which these factors shape our world and perpetuate social injustice. It calls for a more comprehensive and intersectional approach to addressing reproductive rights and justice, one that recognizes the complex and interrelated nature of these issues and seeks to dismantle the systems of power that perpetuate them.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 159 x 237 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839985874