Ideological currents and the interpretation of demographic trends: The case of Francis Amasa Walker
1992; Wiley; Volume: 28; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1002/1520-6696(199201)28
ISSN1520-6696
Autores Tópico(s)Historical Economic and Social Studies
ResumoLate nineteenth-century influences on American population thought are highlighted by focusing on Francis Amasa Walker's theory of native American fertility decline. Malthusianism, Darwinism, and racism combined to produce a new biological Malthu-sianism that identified a population calamity more harmful than overpopulation-biological deterioration. The plausibility of Walker's theory is examined with respect to contemporary demographic theory and demographic fact. Its reception by American social scientists is described: acceptance of biological Malthusianism was widespread, and scrutiny of an ideologically useful but empirically untenable theory proved difficult when the social scientific community shared a particular value position.
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