Throughout much of the twentieth century, North Carolina governmental officials expressed concern about the public and private problems caused by persons not considered part of mainstream society.  Labeled feeble minded, defective, deviant, delinquent, or retarded, these individuals ostensibly required both care and control by state entities to ensure they caused as few difficulties as possible.  In her provocative book Strong State, Weak Links, UNC professor Anna Krome-Lukens lays out the story of North Carolina reformers and their use of progressive scientific thought combined with traditional racial (and racist) ideology to manage society.  Dividing society into categories like “deserving” versus “undeserving” Read more