Building the population bomb: Emily K. Merchant, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021), 296 pp.

In "Building the Population Bomb," Emily K. Merchant explores the historical origins of the concept of the "population problem" and the professionalization of the study of populations. The book analyzes the conferences, institutions, theories, and experts that laid the foundations for the understanding of population growth as a threat to the West. Merchant provides a meticulous analysis of the context, motivations, demographic models, and data of demographers, as well as their influence on the state, philanthropists, and organizations. The book also examines the evolution of demographic thinking and the debates within the population control movement during the Cold War. [Extracted from the article]