Disabled Upon Arrival: Eugenics, Immigration, and the Construction of Race and Disability

by Jay Timothy Dolmage

In North America, immigration has never been about immigration. That was true in the early twentieth century when anti-immigrant rhetoric led to draconian crackdowns on the movement of bodies, and it is true today as new measures seek to construct migrants as dangerous and undesirable. This premise forms the crux of Jay Timothy Dolmage’s new book  Disabled Upon Eugenics, Immigration, and the Construction of Race and Disability , a compelling examination of the spaces, technologies, and discourses of immigration restriction during the peak period of North American immigration in the early twentieth century.
 
 
Through careful archival research and consideration of the larger ideologies of racialization and xenophobia,  Disabled Upon Arrival  links anti-immigration rhetoric to eugenics—the flawed “science” of controlling human population based on racist and ableist ideas about bodily values. Dolmage casts an enlightening perspective on immigration restriction, showing how eugenic ideas about the value of bodies have never really gone away and revealing how such ideas and attitudes continue to cast groups and individuals as disabled upon arrival. 

Genres: Disability, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Disability Studies, Sociology, Race

190 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2018

Reviews

[Naya Singhania · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, but its discussion and analysis felt a bit broad and redundant. In one of Dolmage's other books, "Academic Ableism", there was clear analysis that not only discussed historical construction of disability in academics but connected it to academic ableism in the present day. I felt like that depth of analysis was missing in this book. However, the ideas present in this book were explained clearly, and supported well. Overall a good book but felt broader and shallower than expected based on the title and past works of the author.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid interesting rhetorical analysis of the history of immigration to North America - especially surrounding early 20th century immigration but dipping into more modern issues as well.
While it is not very dense, a familiarity with some level of disability studies/humanities language is a benefit as to communicate the complex ideas it discusses it must use some level of specialized language.

[teacupsandunicorns · Rating 5 out of 5]

great academic read on the history of the popularity of labeling and excluding people as disabled or "undesirable" began in the United States--or, at least, became popular and within policies for immigration and eugenics .

[Summer Carper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating history of eugenics and immigration. The lens of disability studies and rhetoric was interesting but since it was outside my scope I struggled to follow some sections. The author also relies heavily on longer quotes from other scholars which I personally didn’t like.