‘God and the Gene’: E.W. Barnes on Eugenics and Religion
This article explores the eugenic ideas of Ernest William Barnes (1874-1953), the Bishop of Birmingham. E.W. Barnes was a key proponent of sterilisation and euthanasia in post-war Britain, yet is a figure that scholarship on British eugenics has largely overlooked. He gave several eugenic-themed lec...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2012
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| In: |
Politics, religion & ideology
Year: 2012, Volume: 13, Issue: 3, Pages: 353-374 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article explores the eugenic ideas of Ernest William Barnes (1874-1953), the Bishop of Birmingham. E.W. Barnes was a key proponent of sterilisation and euthanasia in post-war Britain, yet is a figure that scholarship on British eugenics has largely overlooked. He gave several eugenic-themed lectures after 1945 that gained significant newspaper coverage in the Times and the Manchester Guardian. The debate that ensued can serve as a microcosm for wider philosophical and ethical debates occurring in this period. Focusing particularly on the interlinking roles played by eugenics and religion in the inter- and post-war periods, this article identifies Barnes within this ever-evolving ideological climate as both a religious leader and campaigner for the perceived declining cause of eugenics. |
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| ISSN: | 2156-7697 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Politics, religion & ideology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/21567689.2012.698978 |