The Biopolitics of Feeling: Race, Sex, and Science in the Nineteenth Century (ANIMA)

The Biopolitics of Feeling by Kyla Schuller is a groundbreaking work that uncovers the hidden history of biopower in the United States.

By examining the intersections of sentimentalism, evolutionary theories, gynecological sciences, abolitionist poetry, and other literary texts, this book reveals how biopower emerged within the discourses and practices of sentimentalism.

Schuller challenges prevalent interpretations of biopower and literary cultures to expose the overlooked role of sex difference in population management and the optimization of life.

Through her historical and theoretical work, Schuller offers key corrective insights to modern debates surrounding race and sex difference, and reframes contemporary notions of sentiment, affect, sexuality, evolution, and heredity.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of biopower, gender studies, and critical race theory.