Richard Soloway’s study of eugenics and the declining birth rate in Britain during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries casts light on the movement that signaled the beginning of modern genetics and social biology. Soloway brings into the discussion evolutionary theory, the belief among some men that the women’s movement and education of women influences their fertility, and consideration of methods to control inherited behavioral qualities such as intelligence, poverty, and criminal behavior.
At the time of this interview, Soloway, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1986-87), was professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
