Alexandra Minna Stern's Eugenics Nation

1. How does the text circulate? 
 The material analyzed by Alexandra Minna Stern circulates in the form of a book titled “Eugenics Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Breeding in Modern America,” that was originally published in November 2007. The book is chronologically sequenced in order to provide the reader with detailed accounts of social eugenic practices throughout different periods in America History. In her book, Stern seeks to examine the connection between eugenics and the emergence of environmental movements in the state of California through the life of key figures such as Fairfield Osborn, Jordan Goethe, and John C. Merriam. In addition, the author extrapolates how radically progressive changes in California went on to influence

the social structure of an entire nation.
However, in my opinion the book does a rather inadequate job in explaining how the eugenic movement in California directly impacted the nation as a whole. Therefore, the title of the book becomes a misleading component of the author’s work and greatly impacts the overall importance of the material being examined. Lastly, the author relies on historical accounts and public records to provide additional information on the individuals she references throughout her book. 

2. What is it about, empirically? (What is being studied as the object?)
In the book Eugenic Nation, Alexandra Minna Stern attempts to unearth how eugenic based beliefs such as hereditarianism played a pivotal role in shaping American society during the twentieth-century. The author carefully crafts her argument by effectively focusing the subject of her book on studying the “contributions” made by the influential eugenist in the Sate of California. This proves to be a focal component of Stern’s book because it gives her the necessary latitude to historically revise and sequence the emergence of American eugenics.
Equally as important, the time of her study takes place throughout different time intervals during the beginning of the twentieth-century up until the present time. Based on the limited level of research I conducted after finishing the assigned reading, I found two other sources of comparison that have contributed to expanding the subject of eugenics in America. One of those sources being the writings of Sir Francis Galton on “Nature Versus Nurture” and Mark H. Haller’s book “Eugenics: Hereditarian Attitudes In American Thought.” (1963, print)

3. What is the main argument and goal of the writing? 
 Throughout the reading, the author makes a conscious decision to illustrate how eugenics as a prevailing social ideology during the twentieth-century never really receded after the culmination of the second world war. In fact, postwar eugenics continued to propagate throughout American society and other parts of the world by the simple repackaging of Nordic and Aryan supremacy beliefs into nature and environmental movements that effectively utilized the banner of hereditarianism as a support structure for the continuation of race control practices. The basis of the author’s argument is to demonstrate how influential eugenicists heavily contributed to shape the overall geographical and social landscape in the state California. However, some of the author’s assertions can be simply described as implicitly because an insufficient amount information is provided to support her arguments. For example, the author discusses many influential eugenicist such as Charles Matthias Goethe and August Vollmer but never expands her analysis to understanding the political, economic and psychological climate that might influence the way they thought or behaved.

4.

Write a paragraph discussing a passage that inspired you, made you think, or frustrated you,and how it did so. The paragraph should be between 160-300 words, and you should cite the page number of the passage. 
 One of the more interesting passages is located on page 121 of the book and it revolves around the subject of understanding how eugenist promoted the concept of “nature-making” in three distinct methods. The author briefly explains how each method has significantly contributed to the emergence of environmental movements in the state of California. For instance, the first method suggests that eugenist must utilize their power to finance and direct environmental organizations in order to effectively shape the environment around them. In my opinion, this represents a significant shift in ideology because it exemplifies the evolution and adaptation of eugenic ideologies in American society. The second method consists of building a seamless connection between hereditary and evolutionary tenets into the narratives of conquering the wild Pacific West. Lastly, and most importantly, the third method consisted of urging eugenist to leave a permanent mark on the landscape around them through the naming of flora and fauna and major

landmarks.
In essence, all of the methods applied by the prominent eugenist during the twentieth century were designed to preserve the purity and survival of white America. As such, Stern uses her meticulous historical analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying social factors that contributed to the development and preservation of many natural sites such as Madison Grant forest, Elk Refuge, Redwoods State Park and Mount Jordan in Sequia National park. (Eugenic Nation, 121)
5. Pose two open-ended questions for the class. 
These should be questions that cannot be answered with a “yes” or a “no.” 
1. Are there ways in which eugenics can be practiced ethically?
2. What kind of problems would arise from the implementation of such practices?