Race in post-war science: The Swiss case in a global context

2021 ◽  
pp. 095269512110103
Author(s):  
Pascal Germann
Keyword(s):  
Human Genetics ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Research ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Racial Knowledge ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

The historiography on the concept of race in the post-war sciences has focused predominantly on the UNESCO campaign against scientific racism and on the Anglo-American research community. By way of contrast, this article highlights the history of the concept of race from a thus far unexplored angle: from Swiss research centres and their global interconnections with racial researchers around the world. The article investigates how the acceptance, resonance, and prestige of racial research changed during the post-war years. It analyses what resources could be mobilised that enabled researchers to carry out and continue scientific studies in the field of racial research or even to expand them and link them to new contexts. From this perspective, the article looks at the dynamics, openness, and contingency of the European post-war period, which was less stable, anti-racist, and spiritually renewed than retrospective success stories often suggest. The pronounced internationality of Swiss racial science and its close entanglement with the booming field of human genetics in the early 1950s point to the ambiguities of the period’s political and scientific development. I argue that the impact of post-war anti-racism on science was more limited than is frequently assumed: it did not drain the market for racial knowledge on a continent that clung to imperialism and was still shaped by racist violence. Only from the mid 1950s onwards did a series of unforeseen events and contingent shifts curtail the importance of the race concept in various sectors of the human sciences.

The Economic History of South Africa 1948–94

2021 ◽  
pp. 46-65
Author(s):  
Bill Freund ◽  
Vishnu Padayachee
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Economic History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Global And Local ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

This chapter addresses the unfolding economic history of South Africa in the apartheid era (1948–94). The chapter is organized according to a periodization with 1971–73 as a marker of the break, and along specific thematic lines. These include a discussion of the way in which this history has been studied and through what theoretical lenses, before engaging with the main issues, including the impact of Afrikaner nationalism on economic growth, the way in which the minerals energy sector, which dominated early perspectives of South African economic history and perspectives, is impacted in this era of National Party rule. An analysis of the role of one major corporation (Anglo American Corporation) in shaping this economic history is followed by an assessment of the impact of the global and local crisis after c.1970 on the South African economy. An abiding theme is that of race and economic development and the way in which the impact of this key relationship of apartheid South Africa on economic growth has been studied.

scholarly journals The 1949 sterling crisis and British policy towards European integration

1985 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Newton
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
The United States ◽  
Marshall Plan ◽  
Public Records ◽  
The Public ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

Most commentators on the 1949 sterling crisis have viewed it as an episode with implications merely for the management of the British economy. This paper, based on the public records now available, discusses the impact of the crisis on British economic foreign policy. In particular it suggests that the crisis revealed deep Anglo-American differences, centring on the nature of the Marshall Plan, on the international value of the sterling area, and on the proper relationship between the United Kingdom and Western Europe, Ultimately the British succeeded in resolving these disagreements: but this triumph ironically implied both the defeat of British aims in post-war European reconstruction and a long term delusion that great power status could be maintained on the basis of a special relationship-with the United States.

Foucault’s Folie et déraison: its influence and its contemporary relevance

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-358
Author(s):  
Andrew Scull
Keyword(s):  
Social History ◽  
Michel Foucault ◽  
History Of Psychiatry ◽  
First Century ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The Impact

Michel Foucault remains one of the most influential intellectuals in the early twenty-first century world. This paper examines the origins and impact of his first major work, Folie et déraison, on the history of psychiatry, particularly though not exclusively in the world of Anglo-American scholarship. The impact and limits of Foucault’s work on the author’s own contributions to the history of psychiatry are examined, as is the larger influence of Madness and Civilization (as it is known to most Anglophones) on the nascent social history of psychiatry. The paper concludes with an assessment of the sources of the appeal of Foucault’s work among some scholars, and notes his declining influence on contemporary scholars working on the history of psychiatry.

The History of School Teachers and Administrators

2019 ◽  
pp. 474-489
Author(s):  
Kate Rousmaniere
Keyword(s):  
Public School ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Public School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Global Context ◽  
History Of ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Public School Educators ◽  
Relationship Of

This chapter is an overarching historical narrative of the development of the occupations of teaching and school administration, focusing on the history of educators who have worked as elementary and secondary public school teachers and local school administrators. The emphasis is on the historical development of Anglo and Anglo American education, with notations of patterns of change in a more global context. The chapter discusses the nature of research on the history of educators, and then introduces three themes that mark the history of teachers and school administrators: the creation of state systems of education, the troubled history of professionalization of education, and the historical relationship of public school educators to the state.

scholarly journals The Imperial mentality of Russia and Anglo-American research in Russian Studies of the 1980s and 2000s

2021 ◽  
pp. 104-111
Author(s):  
Elena Vasilievna Lapteva
Keyword(s):  
Political Behavior ◽  
General Characteristic ◽  
Russian People ◽  
Modern Period ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Research ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The One ◽  
Life Behavior

This article is dedicated to the reflection of the topic of the Russian imperial spirit and its manifestations in the Anglo-American historiography of 1970 – 2000. The article relies on the works of the representatives of American Russian studies, from its major figures (Z. Brzeziński and R. Pipes) to modern representatives (A. Grigas). The author reviews the key positions of American researchers of Russia on the general characteristic of the imperial mentality that are inherent to the Russian people and determine their political and life behavior. Reference to the manifestations of the imperial spirit and its analysis in the modern period is important, as it allows seeing the history of Russia from an outside perspective, as well as carrying out a political-sociological and historical-chronological analysis to avoid similar mistakes in the future. The main conclusions are based on the works of Anglo-American Russian studies, which indicate that the study of imperial mentality, traditions, life and political behavior of Russia remains popular in the Western sector of Russian studies. On the one hand, it continues the tradition of American Soviet studies, while on other – separates from it and delves into the local and culturological research. However, the politological component retains its positions, and searches for the new topics and approaches. The author believes that these two trends would continue to be viewed in parallel in the Anglo-American Russian studies for a long time.

Autochthony, Belonging, and Xenophobia in Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Geschiere
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
World Order ◽  
Deep Uncertainty ◽  
Post Cold War ◽  
Global Context ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Village

The renewed relevance of “autochthony” and similar notions of belonging in many parts of Africa is symptomatic of the confusing changes on the continent since the “post-Cold War moment.” Africa is certainly not exceptional in this respect. The “new world order,” so triumphantly announced by President George H. W. Bush in 1990 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the apparent victory of capitalism turned out to be marked by intensifying global flows, as expected, but also by an increasing obsession with belonging all over the globe, which was less expected. Yet, it may be important to emphasize as well that this upsurge of struggles over local belonging took on special aspects in Africa. The notion of autochthony has its own history on the continent, going back to the impact of colonialism, but building on older distinctions. However, it always sat uneasily with what many historians and anthropologists see as characteristic for African social formations: a heavy emphasis on mobility and inclusion of people: wealth in people. Since the last decades of the 20th century, there seems to be an increasing closure of local communities in many parts of the continent: a growing emphasis on exclusion rather than inclusion of newcomers, immigrants, or “strangers.” After a brief sketch of the history of autochthony on the continent, also in relation to parallel notions like ethnicity and indigeneity, the focus is placed on the factors behind such a tendency toward closure: increasing land scarcity, and especially the changing global context since 1990. In many parts of the continent, the neo-liberal twin of democratization and decentralization had the effect that the feeling of belonging to the village became of crucial importance again, as well for people who had already lived for generations in the cities. The implications of such a growing preoccupation with autochthony and local belonging for national citizenship and notions on civil society are highly variable and depend on historical context. However, one recurrent trait is the paradox between a promise of basic security (how can one belong more than if one is rooted in the soil?) and a practice of deep uncertainty. The receding quality of these claims to belong—autochthony as a basic denial of history, which always implies movement—allows that they always can be contested: One’s autochthony can always be unmasked as “fake,” with someone else belonging more. Autochthony can be institutionalized in various forms and to various degrees, but its basic uncertainty gives it a violent potential.

H1N1 in the ‘A1 Empire’: Pandemic Influenza, Military Medicine, and the British Transition from War to Peace, 1918–1920

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 604-621
Author(s):  
James J Harris
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Military Medicine ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Health Response ◽  
War Effort ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

Summary The article reexamines the history of the 1918–19 influenza pandemic to better place it in its war-time context. Using Britain as a case study, the essay examines how British military medicine took a leading role in studying and developing a (still largely ineffective) public health response to the epidemic, whereas domestic public health leaders did almost nothing to stem the spread of the pandemic due to the impact measures such as quarantine would have had on the war effort. The article ends by briefly considering how the pandemic affected efforts to restore Britain to ‘normalcy’ during the immediate post-war recovery. In so doing, this essay further argues how it is essential to consider the deep connections between the Great War and the influenza pandemic not simply as concurrent or consecutive crises, but more deeply intertwined.

3. From Munich to Berlin (via Weimar)

2019 ◽  
pp. 21-39
Author(s):  
Jane Caplan
Keyword(s):  
Nazi Party ◽  
National Socialist ◽  
Elite Politics ◽  
The Core ◽  
Popular Appeal ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

The ‘Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei’ (National Socialist German Workers’ Party), was a product of the new political and social universe of post-war Germany. ‘From Munich to Berlin (via Weimar)’ traces the history of the NSDAP from its early base in Munich to the appointment of Hitler as chancellor in January 1933, paying particular attention to the party’s regional base. It explains the popular appeal of the Nazi party beyond the core of believers; the impact of the Depression; and the crisis of elite politics that brought the party to power.

Neuropsychiatry services in Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe

2020 ◽  
pp. 551-556
Author(s):  
Martín L. Vargas ◽  
Alla Guekht ◽  
Josef Priller
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Cultural Perspectives ◽  
Standards Of Practice ◽  
French School ◽  
American Tradition ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact

In order to promote international homogeneity of neuropsychiatric services and standards of practice, one must consider local historical perspectives. This chapter focuses on the variety of historical perspectives on neuropsychiatry between countries in Central, Southern, and Eastern Europe, focusing first on Central Europe, from its initial understanding with Hippocrates, through the inter- to post-war disciplinary fracture of neurology and psychiatry, to the eventual influence of the Anglo-American tradition in the latter half of the twentieth century that saw the fracture mended. Further connections between different cultural perspectives on neuropsychiatry are explored, such as the German tradition’s influence on neuropsychiatry in Franco’s Spain, and the impact of Pinel and Charcot’s nineteenth-century advances in the French school on Europe as a whole. Given the advance of globalization, an international paradigm is now needed for neuropsychiatry, which could help define the discipline and incorporate new integrative perspectives such as neurophenomenology and neuropsychoanalysis.

American perceptions of the post-war world

1977 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-339
Author(s):  
Alastair Buchan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Politics ◽  
American Foreign Policy ◽  
Major Work ◽  
Future Role ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Volume History

At the time of his death in February 1976, Alastair Buchan was preparing what he intended as his major work – a three volume history of American foreign policy since 1945. He had completed only two draft chapters, both of which focused on the impact of the war and its immediate aftermath on American perceptions of her future role in international politics. Because the draft chapters were so few in number it was not considered possible to have the study continued along the lines envisaged by the author. In order that some indication of the tentative judgement of so eminent a student of United States diplomacy be available, the article below has been extracted from what would have been the second chapter of the first volume.

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