Dissertation•
Women becoming professionals: British secular reformers and missionaries in Colonial India, 1870-1900.
01 Jan 2012-
TL;DR: Vibert et al. as mentioned in this paper examined the development of these roles in the missionary and secular philanthropic communities and how these women used periodicals as a space to implicitly demonstrate their competence and explicitly argue for their status as educators and medical workers.
Abstract: Supervisory Committee Dr. Elizabeth Vibert, (Department of History) Supervisor Dr. Lynne Marks, (Department of History) Departmental Member This paper discusses the means by which some British women created professional roles for themselves out of their philanthropic work in India between 1880 and 1900. I examine the development of these roles in the missionary and secular philanthropic communities and how these women used periodicals as a space to implicitly demonstrate their competence and explicitly argue for their status as educators and medical workers. Colonial India provided a particular context of imperial ideals and gendered realities: Indian women were believed to be particularly deprived of learning, medical care and ―civilisation‖ by custom and culture, and Englishwomen could call on the rhetoric of imperial duty to legitimise their care of these disadvantaged women. I argue that India provided the means for British women to demonstrate their capabilities and to involve themselves in the ongoing nineteenth-century project to incorporate women into previously masculine professional societies.
Citations
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461 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the rhetoric of English India has been studied in the context of the history of European ideas, and the rhetoric has been analyzed in terms of English-to-Indians.
176 citations
TL;DR: In this article, gender, sex, and subordination in England 1500-1800 are discussed in the context of a review of new books: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 117-118.
Abstract: (1997). Gender, Sex and Subordination in England 1500–1800. History: Reviews of New Books: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 117-118.
158 citations
140 citations
39 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this article, gender, sex, and subordination in England 1500-1800 are discussed in the context of a review of new books: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 117-118.
Abstract: (1997). Gender, Sex and Subordination in England 1500–1800. History: Reviews of New Books: Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 117-118.
158 citations
144 citations
Book•
22 May 1991
TL;DR: The Myth of the Destructive Female and its relationship with women's sexuality and society were discussed in this paper. But the focus was on women's empowerment and the status of women.
Abstract: Preface Introduction One Sexuality and Society: The Myth of the Destructive Female Two Home and Work Three Information and Policy Mediators: Travelers, Writers, Scholars, and Administrators Four Missionaries, Reformers, and the Status of Indigenous Women Conclusion Notes References Cited Index
142 citations
140 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The relationship of gender issues and the practice of medicine in the context of colonialism as revealed through an analysis of the Dufferin Fund in India is examined.
Abstract: This article examines the relationship of gender issues and the practice of medicine in the context of colonialism as revealed through an analysis of the Dufferin Fund in India. Early private efforts to deliver Western health care in India were confined to combatting disease among the military and to the work of a few missionaries. The Dufferin Fund was created by Queen Victoria to provide health services to Indian women by training women physicians and personnel establishing medical facilities and providing female nurses and midwives. Fund-raising subscriptions were largely supported by wealthy Indians. British perceptions about Indian society and the nature of colonial rule were reflected by the Fund which responded to the misguided notion that Indian women would only accept the services of female physicians. In contrast with British officialdom however the Fund accepted the existence of purdah although the multifaceted nature of this social institution was ignored or misunderstood. These positions buttressed arguments to promote the medical training of English women (who would be shipped out of the way to India). The positions also assigned blame for the poor condition of Indian women to Indian men who were nonetheless expected to support the work of the Fund. British opposition to traditional forms of medicine were evident by the Funds vociferous criticisms of Indian midwives. The Fund was criticized in turn for relying on trained Western women instead of training native women. When Lord Dufferins stint as Viceroy was over praise was lavished upon the departing Lady Dufferin as a proxy used by the Indian press for expressing a desire for a more humanitarian style of colonial rule. From the colonial point of view Lady Dufferin set an example for the good works of the future vicereines. However any accomplishments of the Fund were adopted by the imperial government as its own and insufficient funding and inactivity led to a loss in the Funds ability to function. In fact the existence of the Fund impeded later efforts which may have been more in line with the real needs of Indias women. The importance of the Fund to the British lay in its representation of the alleged superiority of British gender relations and health practices its involvement of the Indian elite in British-type philanthropy and its role in fostering the medical training of English women.
131 citations