About the book
Through nostalgic idealizations of motherhood, family, and the home, influential leaders in early twentieth-century America constructed and legitimated a range of reforms that promoted human reproduction. Their pronatalism emerged from a modernist conviction that reproduction and population could be regulated. European countries sought to regulate or encourage reproduction through legislation; America, by contrast, fostered ideological and cultural ideas of pronatalism through what Laura Lovett calls “nostalgic modernism,” which romanticized agrarianism and promoted scientific racism and eugenics.
Lovett looks closely at the ideologies of five influential American figures: Mary Lease’s maternalist agenda, Florence Sherbon’s eugenic “fitter families” campaign, George Maxwell’s “homecroft” movement of land reclamation and home building, Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign for conservation and country life, and Edward Ross’s sociological theory of race suicide and social control. Demonstrating the historical circumstances that linked agrarianism, racism, and pronatalism, Lovett shows how reproductive conformity was manufactured, how it was promoted, and why it was coercive. In addition to contributing to scholarship in American history, gender studies, rural studies, and environmental history, Lovett’s study sheds light on the rhetoric of “family values” that has regained currency in recent years.
Editions of Conceiving the Future
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807831076
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807858035
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807868102
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469604725
- EBook
- ISBN 9798893131338
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890874177
Read an Excerpt
Through nostalgic idealizations of motherhood, family, and the home, influential leaders in early twentieth-century America constructed and legitimated a range of reforms that promoted human reproduction. Their pronatalism emerged from a modernist conviction that reproduction and population could be regulated. European countries sought to regulate or encourage reproduction through legislation; America, by contrast, fostered ideological and cultural ideas of pronatalism through what Laura Lovett calls “nostalgic modernism,” which romanticized agrarianism and promoted scientific racism and eugenics.
Lovett looks closely at the ideologies of five influential American figures: Mary Lease’s maternalist agenda, Florence Sherbon’s eugenic “fitter families” campaign, George Maxwell’s “homecroft” movement of land reclamation and home building, Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign for conservation and country life, and Edward Ross’s sociological theory of race suicide and social control. Demonstrating the historical circumstances that linked agrarianism, racism, and pronatalism, Lovett shows how reproductive conformity was manufactured, how it was promoted, and why it was coercive. In addition to contributing to scholarship in American history, gender studies, rural studies, and environmental history, Lovett’s study sheds light on the rhetoric of “family values” that has regained currency in recent years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Conceiving the Future about?
Through nostalgic idealizations of motherhood, family, and the home, influential leaders in early twentieth-century America constructed and legitimated a range of reforms that promoted human reproduction. Their pronatalism emerged from a modernist conviction that reproduction and population could be regulated. European countries sought to regulate or encourage reproduction through legislation; America, by contrast, fostered ideological and cultural ideas of pronatalism through what Laura Lovett calls “nostalgic modernism,” which romanticized agrarianism and promoted scientific racism and eugenics.
Lovett looks closely at the ideologies of five influential American figures: Mary Lease’s maternalist agenda, Florence Sherbon’s eugenic “fitter families” campaign, George Maxwell’s “homecroft” movement of land reclamation and home building, Theodore Roosevelt’s campaign for conservation and country life, and Edward Ross’s sociological theory of race suicide and social control. Demonstrating the historical circumstances that linked agrarianism, racism, and pronatalism, Lovett shows how reproductive conformity was manufactured, how it was promoted, and why it was coercive. In addition to contributing to scholarship in American history, gender studies, rural studies, and environmental history, Lovett’s study sheds light on the rhetoric of “family values” that has regained currency in recent years.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Conceiving the Future?
History and Archaeology > History > History of the Americas
Where can I read a sample of Conceiving the Future?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807831076
How long is Conceiving the Future and how many pages does it have?
Conceiving the Future has 248 page(s)
Is Conceiving the Future part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Gender and American Culture
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Conceiving the Future?
Laura L. Lovett
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Conceiving the Future is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807831076) and paperback(ISBN 9780807858035) and ebook(ISBN 9780807868102) and ebook(ISBN 9781469604725) and ebook(ISBN 9798893131338) and pdf(ISBN 9798890874177)
Where can I buy Conceiving the Future online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Conceiving the Future from below
Where can I buy Conceiving the Future?