Catholicism, Race and Empire

This monograph places the science and ideology of eugenics in early twentieth century Portugal in the context of manifestations in other countries in the same period. The author argues that three factors limited the impact of eugenics in Portugal: a low level of institutionalization, opposition from Catholics and the conservative nature of the Salazar regime. In Portugal the eugenic science and movement were confined to three expressions: individualized studies on mental health, often from a 'biotypological' perspective; a particular stance on racial miscegenation in the context of the substantial Portuguese colonial empire; and a diffuse model of social hygiene, maternity care and puericulture.

Cleminson Richard :

Richard Cleminson is Reader in the History of Sexuality, at the University of Leeds. His previous books include Anarchism, Science and Sex: Eugenics in Eastern Spain, 1900–1937 (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2000) and Sex, Identity and Hermaphrodites in Iberia, 1500-1800 (London: Pickering and Chatto, 2013), co-authored with Francisco Vázquez García.