Abstract

This is an introduction to a series of essays, originally a panel at the iCHST conference in 2017, which explore the moral economy of physiology in the modern period, focusing particularly on issues of race, place and nation. By examining a series of interconnected, but not interchangeable, concepts, these papers offer a broader context for the understanding of physiology, physical anthropology, and fertility studies, particularly by moving from Europe to South America and from there with explorers and scientists across the globe. Starting with Malthusian discussions in the early nineteenth century, working through to post-colonial debates about race and belonging, the papers argue for an increased focus on cross-century histories of these topics, showing a continuity in beliefs and practices, and highlighting the interdisciplinary and inherently political nature of these researches.