{"id":52736,"date":"2026-04-30T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52736"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:46:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T15:46:40","slug":"playing-god-eugenics-in-modern-history-gdansk-18th-20th-november-2026-deadline-1st-june-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52736","title":{"rendered":"Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History, Gda\u0144sk, 18th\u201320th November 2026 (Deadline: 1st June 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Museum of the Second World War in Gda\u0144sk (Poland) invites researchers, educators and others to take part in an interdisciplinary academic conference entitled \u2018Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History’ (18th-20th November 2026)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of modern biological engineering and social control is inextricably linked to the rise of eugenics. This movement stemmed from the seemingly noble aim of \u201cbettering\u201d the human race through selective breeding \u2013 a facet of the unprecedented scientific progress of the 19th century. Soon, enthusiasts began advocating for the mobilization of the modern state\u2019s bureaucratic apparatus to turn these theories into practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In time, various countries introduced eugenic measures. The tragic pinnacle of this trend was reached in Nazi Germany with Aktion T4-a systematic program of mass murder through involuntary euthanasia, which claimed approximately 300,000 lives. This crime served as a technological and ideological precursor to the Holocaust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, eugenics was not a localized phenomenon, nor did it end with the defeat of Nazism in 1945; it was a global movement that permeated medical, legal, and social structures across continents. Many countries maintained eugenic regulations well into the final decades of the 20th century and beyond. This conference aims to examine the multifaceted nature of eugenic thought, from its intellectual origins to its practical, often violent, criminal and tragic applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We invite scholars from the fields of history, sociology, philosophy, (bio)ethics, medicine, law and political science to submit proposals. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Sources of Eugenic Thought: On the origins of the \u201cimprovement\u201d of the human race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Intellectual Genealogies: The influence of Social Darwinism and the \u201cscience\u201d of heredity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) The T4 Program and Beyond: Analysis of \u201ceuthanasia\u201d programs, their victims, and medical ethics in the German Reich (1933\u20131945).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Global Perspectives: Eugenic legislation and sterilization practices worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Institutional Eugenics: The role of psychiatric hospitals, laboratories, and welfare systems in promoting \u201cracial hygiene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6) Gender and Eugenics: Control of female reproduction and the concept of \u201cfit\u201d motherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7) Modern Echoes: The legacy of eugenic thinking in contemporary genetics and bioethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please submit your completed applications forms to: <\/strong>conference2026@muzeum1939.pl<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Submission Deadline:<\/strong> 1st June 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notification of Acceptance:<\/strong> 19th June 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Programme<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The programme will be published by the end of June 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

conference2026@muzeum1939.pl<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Source<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History, in: H-Soz-Kult, 26.03.2026, https:\/\/www.hsozkult.de\/event\/id\/event-161401<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-novosti","category-skupovi"],"acf":{"facebook_opis":"Objavljen je poziv za sudjelovanje na konferenciji \"Playing God: Eugenics in Modern History\", koja \u0107e se odr\u017eati u Gdanjsku od 18. do 20. studenoga 2026."},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":52679,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52679","url_meta":{"origin":52736,"position":0},"title":"CfP: CHOSEN NATION(S): HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INTERPRETATIONS OF EXCEPTIONALISM, BUDAPEST, 10TH\u201311TH JUNE 2026 (DEADLINE: 1ST MAY 2026)","author":"Branimir Jankovi\u0107","date":"27. travnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ludovika University of Public Service (NKE) and the Jewish Theological Seminary \u2013 University of Jewish Studies (OR-ZSE) are pleased to announce a joint academic conference on \u201cChosen Nation(s): Historical and Cultural Interpretations of Exceptionalism\u201d, to be held in Budapest, Hungary. Chosen Nation(s): Historical and Cultural Interpretations of Exceptionalism Keynote\u2026","rel":"","context":"U "Novosti"","block_context":{"text":"Novosti","link":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/historiografija.hr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/hsozkult.png?fit=1006%2C241&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52692,"url":"https:\/\/historiografija.hr\/?p=52692","url_meta":{"origin":52736,"position":1},"title":"Florian Bieber \u201eHvar in the Modern Age: Identity and Change in Southeast Europe\u201c","author":"Filip \u0160imunjak","date":"28. travnja 2026.","format":false,"excerpt":"Description\u00a0 In this open-access book, Florian Bieber traces the history of the Adriatic island of Hvar over half a millennium, from the advent of Venetian rule in the 15th century to the end of Yugoslavia in the late 20th century. 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