Confronting eugenics legacies worldwide with student scholarship

Tuesday 21 January 2025, 16:00-17:30 (online)

The event will bring together students, academics, and researchers to discuss the historical and contemporary impacts of eugenics on higher education institutions and their efforts to address the harms of events. 

Rationale

Eugenics, a movement that sought to improve the genetic quality of human populations through selective breeding, has left a troubling legacy at many universities. These institutions were often involved in promoting eugenic ideologies and practices. Understanding this history is essential for fostering a more inclusive and equitable academic environment. By highlighting student-led research, the seminar underscores the importance of academic inquiry in confronting and reconciling with these past injustices. 

The discussion will include

• The historical context
• Student research contributions
• Institutional responses
• Ethical implications
• Future directions

This panel discussion promises to be a thought-provoking and event, fostering dialogue and collaboration among participants dedicated to understanding and addressing the complex legacies of eugenics in higher education.

Event background

The event is organised by UCL’s Eugenics Legacy Education Project (ELEP), a programme of education activity to help address UCL's harmful historical links to eugenics. 
 
ELEP is theoretically anchored within the field of difficult knowledge studies. Britzman (1998) developed the concept of ‘difficult knowledge’ to investigate the ways that experiences of education and learning can be problematic, uncomfortable, and even harmful when encountering complex curriculum areas. ELEP supports educational projects that encourage engagement with core issues in social justice-oriented approaches to education, such as difficult knowledge.