‘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: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
2012
|
| 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. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2156-7697 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Politics, religion & ideology
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/21567689.2012.698978 |