Le premier congrès international eugénique (Londres, 1912) : une communauté épistémique transnationale ?

Abstract

This article examines the issues surrounding the First International Eugenics Congress, held in London in July 1912. After outlining the origins of eugenics, it examines the way in which this gathering can be described, testing the concepts of 'epistemic community' and 'transnational field' from a threefold perspective: firstly, a history of the ideas expressed at the congress and its organisation on different scales; secondly, a social analysis of the congress participants; and thirdly, a reflection on the effects of the eugenics congress in the short, medium and long term. The thesis defended is that the concept of the 'epistemic community', suggested by various historians, does not apply well to the London congress, which was intellectually and socially fragmented, whereas the 'transnational field' seems to be a more fruitful approach.

Keywords

• internationalism
• London
• Eugenics
• congress
• epistemic community
• field