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Virtual Speaker SeriesJoin us for the AAHN Virtual Speaker Series! This exciting series features monthly nursing history research talks from January to May and September to December. Free for AAHN members; $30 for non-members. September Virtual Speaker Series Date: September 5, 2025 Brief Abstract: Register HereOctober Virtual Speaker Series Date: October 3, 2025 Brief Abstract: Racial discrimination in colonial healthcare services in Africa and its consequent creation of class distinctions among European and African staff is documented yet overly focused on the medical profession. In the Gold Coast (now Ghana), racial discrimination within the nursing service is poorly understood and sparsely documented. Race and inequity in nursing and how local nurses responded are rarely openly considered in the Ghanaian historiography. In what ways do the professional lives of African nurses tell us about racism and inequity within the Gold Coast health service and the local responses to discriminatory practices? This talk examine the work and experience of an African nurse, Ethel F. Roberts to demonstrate the racial and discriminatory aspects of nursing in the Gold Coast within a transnational framework. Trained as a nurse in the Gold Coast, Ethel F. Roberts moved to the United Kingdom (UK) for further studies in the 1940s. After training in the UK, Roberts applied for posting to the Gold Coast to work as a Nursing Sister, but she faced obstacles, partly due to racial discrimination. Roberts’ experience embodies one of the multiple and complex developments that defined racial discrimination in the nursing profession. Using a biographical approach, I draw on private letters, application forms, recommendation and appointment letters, and government records to argue that African nurses did not succumb to discrimination within the profession but contested existing colonial structures leading to health labour reforms in the twentieth century. Roberts’ story unravels key events in the development of nursing in the Gold Coast, focusing on negotiations and contestations surrounding racial discrimination, professional advancement and policy directives. Examining Robert’s career trajectory framed within a transnational context provides fresh insights on race and nursing in the Gold Coast. Register Here
February Virtual Speaker Series Date: February 6, 2026 Brief Abstract: Missed one of our Virtual Speaker Series sessions? Not a member but interested in viewing a session? Fill out the form and let us know which one you'd like to access. Recordings are $15 each for non-members. Please note that it may take up to 72 hours to receive your recording link. May Virtual Speaker Series Title: Nursing the Metropolis: the female ward staff of St Bartholomew's hospital in London, 1660-1820 Brief Abstract:The history of nursing in London before the early nineteenth century used to occasion sweeping generalisations about the flaws of pre-reform nurses (if it attracted any comment at all). In contrast this investigation of the St Bartholomew's Hospital archives showcases the experiences of over 600 women who worked at Barts 1660-1820. Tracing their individual histories, both in the hospital and where possible outside it, provides illustrations of nurses' biographies, the work culture they found at the hospital, and their relationships with one another. This talk draws on material contained in chapter two of my recent book Nursing the English from Plague to Peterloo. |