The mass-production of quality ‘human material’: economic metaphors and compulsory sterilisation in Sweden.

Compulsory sterilisation was one of the most provocative aspects of the history of Swedish Social Policy. Much has been written about the topic from a social discourse perspective, while the economic discourse of compulsory sterilisation has not been fully recognised. This paper suggests that one ne...

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Publicado en:Critical Discourse Studies Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 172 - 187
Autor principal: Nordensvard, Johan
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd May2013
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: The mass-production of quality ‘human material’: economic metaphors and compulsory sterilisation in Sweden.
      aug:
        au: Nordensvard, Johan
        affil: Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK
      su:
        Welfare economics
        Social policy
        Public welfare
        Economic demand
        Sweden
      sug:
        subj:
          Sweden
          Welfare economics
          Social policy
          Public welfare
          Economic demand
      keyword:
        citizenship
        commodification
        discourse analysis
        human material
        policy metaphors
      ab: Compulsory sterilisation was one of the most provocative aspects of the history of Swedish Social Policy. Much has been written about the topic from a social discourse perspective, while the economic discourse of compulsory sterilisation has not been fully recognised. This paper suggests that one needs to use an economic discourse to fully understand some aspects of compulsory sterilisation in the Swedish welfare state discourse between the 1910s and the late 1940s. This paper is based on a discourse analysis: by using metaphors it analyses how pragmatic economic considerations played an important role in creating public support for compulsory sterilisation. This paper suggests that economic motives became the dominant factor in the social democratic eugenic discourse over time and thereby replaced the racial and conservative elements of the dominant Swedish eugenic discourse. The network around Herman Lundborg, director of the Government Institute for Race Biology, changed the focus on costs as an important motive for compulsory sterilisation which was also used by the social democratic scholars Gunnar and Alva Myrdal. The paper indicates that using economic metaphors could create a more diverse understanding of the Swedish welfare state that had other motives than just social ones.
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    language: English
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