Mystery Bird Deaths, Flood Recovery And A Hidden History Of Eugenics In Appalachia wvpublic.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wvpublic.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In
Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia, Dr. Elizabeth Catte expertly investigates and contextualizes the local history of eugenics in Staunton, Virginia. The story of the former Western State Lunatic Asylum now renovated as a luxury hotel and pricey condos demonstrates how race, gender, class and capitalism intersect in the American eugenics movement to uphold white supremacy, control women, and exploit disabled and impoverished people. Catte stresses that this history is not “forgotten,” but rather has been purposely omitted by those in power. Furthermore, her book reveals that eugenics still influence our society today. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Catte about her latest book,
comments
Elizabeth Catte isn t interested in excuses. She s a historian; she understands the concept of different eras just fine. It s in the job description. But the author of 2018 s What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia refuses to take a sympathetic tone about the atrocities of the past in her stunning new book, Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia. Here is something about this book that might get me into trouble, she writes early on. I think most eugenicists were bad people. There will be no man of his time hedging here. What she does, instead, is eloquently present a chilling chronicle of the system of forced institutionalization, forced sterilization and forced labor emanating from Virginia s Western State Hospital throughout the 20th century. (Virginia, by the way, was hardly unique 32 US states had eugenics programs.) Catte reveals, via historical records and intimate individual stories, a displacement of entire families that was as
Between 1927 and 1979, more than 8,000 people were involuntarily sterilized in five hospitals across Virginia. Elizabeth Catte's latest book, "Pure America: Eugenics and the Making of Modern Virginia," looks at the history of eugenics in the state and how it spurred the growth of certain institutions.
Enter to win one of 10 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Jan 16-Feb 02, 2021. Enter for a chance to win one of ten copies of Pure America: Euge.