The white supremacist origins of modern marriage advice

[TexasTowelie]

by Jane Ward, Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of California, Riverside


When I was conducting research for my new book on the destructive aspects of modern heterosexual relationships, I started looking into the archives of early 20th-century books about courtship and marriage written by physicians and sexologists.

In the process, I made a discovery that would radically alter my understanding of why so many parts of heterosexual culture remain mired in violence and inequality.

Almost all of the original self-help books for couples were written by proponents of the eugenics movement, an ostensibly scientific project that aimed to encourage reproduction among the white middle class, while discouraging or preventing population growth among people of color and the poor.

These early marriage manuals revealed that the project of defining healthy heterosexual marriage in the United States was also a white supremacist campaign designed to help white families flourish. As the marriage counseling industry evolved in the 20th century, some of the key assumptions made in these original manuals would persist, even influencing marriage advice aimed at Black families.

Read more: https://theconversation.com/the-white-supremacist-origins-of-modern-marriage-advice-144782

[malaise]

1. K & R

Get thee to the greatest page

[unblock]

2. Interesting read, thanks!

[Alacritous Crier]

3. That was good.

I wish they would have touched on the influence of the "church" as well as eugenicists. I believe much of the strife, abuse, misogyny and racism in the world today is directly related to religious influence over society. People have been brainwashed for millennia with "norms" that govern our very actions. Until we can get educated to a point of release from the mental bondage, we don't even know we're doing it.

[malaise]

6. Excellent point

The role of established churches is very important - in matters racism and reproduction.

[abqtommy]

4. Wow. Thanks for increasing my understanding!

[musette_sf]

5. Info on Ward's new book (just pre-ordered):

The Tragedy of Heterosexuality

https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Heterosexuality-Sexual-Cultures-Book-ebook/dp/B089792KBH/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1598642401&sr=1-1

In The Tragedy of Heterosexuality, Jane Ward smartly explores what, exactly, is wrong with heterosexuality in the twenty-first century, and what straight people can do to fix it for good. She shows how straight women, and to a lesser extent straight men, have tried to mend a fraught patriarchal system in which intimacy, sexual fulfillment, and mutual respect are expected to coexist alongside enduring forms of inequality, alienation, and violence in straight relationships.