Population Control: A Global History of Demographic Politics in Modern China and Beyond

Undergraduate / Graduate

Are there too many people in the world? Are there too few? Is human reproduction a right, a duty, or an interest? This course offers essential insights into the historical and ongoing dynamics of population control, economic inequality, and shifting global demographics. As modern population growth accelerated during the Industrial Revolution due to falling infant mortality rates, longer life expectancies, and increased migration, governments began to formulate policies to manage populations by restricting human reproduction and movement. Today, while concerns over overpopulation remain in some contexts, many parts of the world are now grappling with a fertility crisis. Declining birth rates have become a pressing issue, raising urgent questions about aging populations, shrinking workforces, and the sustainability of economic and social systems. China holds a unique position in demography and politics. The central governments in China, from the Qing Empire to the PRC, implemented a variety of population policies, some of them most extreme in human history, notably exemplified by the "One Child Policy." Analyzing China's experiences allows us to critically assess the limits, failures, and successes of attempts by the state to predict and control demography.