EUGENICS EDUCATION IN THE INTERIOR OF SÃO PAULO: THE CIRCULATION OF RENATO KEHL’S IDEAS IN THE NEWSPAPERS OF SANTA BÁRBARA D’OESTE (1933-1981)

Abstract

This article analyzes publications by and about Renato Kehl (1889-1974) in the newspapers of Santa Bárbara d’Oeste, a municipality in São Paulo with a history of controversies related to racial issues. Based on documentary research on the city's newspapers, in dialogue with specialized literature, the objective is to understand the efforts of this eugenicist in the formation of eugenic consciousness beyond the large capitals and traditional intellectual circles, as well as the support of the lay public, notably parents and educators, to his educational proposals. The conclusion is that the newspapers and social clubs in the interior of São Paulo, conceived as “whiteness clubs”, constituted informal spaces of education for eugenic consciousness until the final decades of the 20th century.

Keywords:
Eugenics; Eugenics education; Renato Kehl; Santa Bárbara d’Oeste; Scientific racism