‘Raciological thinking’: Poland’s narratives of race, eugenics, and nation-formation

Drawing on Polish state archives on eugenics, this article reveals the global dimensions of eugenic practices and the intersected narratives of cleansing, hygiene, and nation-formation in Poland. By telling these narratives anew, the article challenges the dominant accounts of eugenics as an exclusively Western phenomenon, as it shifts attention from the well-documented development of eugenics in Western Europe and North America to the 'peripheral spheres'. It traces eugenics' Western origins whilst examining its circulation across Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Poland. In doing so, the article demonstrates how eugenics profoundly shaped discourses on race and national belonging, and advocates for a more inclusive understanding of its racialized global impacts.