Book Discussion with Jess Whatcott: Menace to the Future

Join us for an online discussion of Dr. Jess Whatcott's new book, Menace to the Future: A Disability and Queer History of Carceral Eugenics. This event will delve into the introduction and second chapter, examining the historical intersections of disability, queerness, and eugenics in the United States. This event is particularly suited for those in political science and related fields interested in understanding the impact of carceral systems on marginalized communities. Please be advised that the discussion will include content related to medical abuse.

Dr. Jess Whatcott (they/them) is an assistant professor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at San Diego State University and is affiliated with LGBTQ+ Studies, the Digital Humanities Center, and the Center for Comics Studies. Their research examines eugenics, the carceral state, and border imperialism by applying methodologies of critical disability studies, abolition feminism, queer and trans studies, and scholar activism. Whatcott’s first monograph, Menace to the Future: A Queer and Disability History of Carceral Eugenics, is out from Duke University Press. The book tells the story of California institutions that segregated disabled, mad, and neurodivergent people away from their communities and families in the early twentieth century. Dr. Whatcott theorizes that disability institutions functioned as forms of “carceral eugenics.” The book connects this history to the continued reliance on psychiatric hospitals, prisons, and immigrant detention centers to control social reproduction and enact eugenicist visions of the future. Dr. Whatcott serves as co-chair of the Critical Disability Studies Caucus of the American Studies Association.

We look forward to your participation in this engaging and insightful virtual dialogue.