Welches Leben zählt? Statistiken in der internationalen (neo)malthusianischen Bevölkerungspolitik
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Abstract
Which life counts? Statistics in (Neo-)Malthusian international population policy
The article analyses the role of statistics in international population policy and shows continuities and transformations since the emergence of Malthusian population ideology. It theorizes population statistics as biopolitical techniques of government that enable the (anti-)natalist government of population by reflecting on statistical knowledge. Through a Foucauldian genealogical discourse analysis, international, quantified knowledge about populations over the last 100 years is traced from the emergence of the League of Nations in 1920 to the present day at the United Nations. The analysis demonstrates the continuity of Malthusian colonial-racist and sexist narratives, as women in the Global South are primarily held responsible for having fewer children. By adopting a genealogical perspective, this article makes an important contribution to understanding the continuity of (anti-)natalism and international population policy that is based on population surveys.
Keywords: Malthusian population policy, anti-natalism, international population statistics, Foucauldian genealogical discourse analysis, biopolitics, United Nations
Bibliographie: Beier, Friederike: Welches Leben zählt? Statistiken in der internationalen (neo)malthusianischen Bevölkerungspolitik, GENDER – Zeitschrift für Geschlecht, Kultur und Gesellschaft, 2-2025, S. 134-149.
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