Nők a nemzetben, nemzet a nőkben A Magyar Egyesület a Leánykereskedelem Ellen eugenikai olvasata

Abstract

Abstract The First World War and its losses necessarily resulted that eugenics had several representatives, followers and propagators in the Eastern European region. The fear for one’s nation was strongly related to the elaboration of a certain “national hygienic program”. In general, such programs declared the intersections between the political, the general and the ideological on the one hand, and the unique, the individual on the other. They also highlight how marriage, prostitution, blood tests and women’s labour relate to one another. In order to understand the issue of national hygiene, the paper will focus on the female body. Within the discourse of eugenics women are responsible for the purity of race: the measure of a nation’s purity is the healthy and fertile woman, hence women’s body can be easily put under control. In my paper I wish to discuss the program of Gábor Doros. I will explore the operation of both the Hungarian Association against Women’s Trafficking, led by Doros, and the so-called Magdolna-homes. Keywords: eugenics; women’s body; prostitute