Eugenics and the Woman Question in the Works of Selected Polish Catholic Humanists in the Period 1918–1939
Eugenics and the Woman Question in the Works of Selected Polish Catholic Humanists in the Period 1918–1939

Summary/Abstract: In the first half of the 20th century, thinking based on eugenics premises was as common as its critique, which partly resulted from assumption of the perspective of the catholic church by humanists and pedagogues, who built their pedagogical conceptions on social teaching of the Church. The present paper aims at presenting the basic elements of criticism of the eugenics stance from the perspective of Polish catholic educators in the years 1918–1939. Such criticism existed and addressed the fundamental themes characteristic of the Catholic Church’s position, but it was executed, among others – and that’s interesting – from the perspective of women’s “interest”. Although within introduction of the eugenics principles was presented within the circles that accepted it as a way of emancipation, within the above-said environment was treated as a path of demoralization and degradation of the woman as a person.

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