Sweeter with Age: The Enigmatic Miss Jane McCotter in the Colonial Services of the Egba Native Administration in Abeokuta, Nigeria, 1929 - 1955.
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Department of Anthropology, Bridgewater University, MA., USA
Abstract
In spite of the significant roles European women played in the administration of colonial
Nigeria, only a handful of them have been given adequate attention. Against this backdrop, the
contributions of Miss Jane McCotter to the development of the Egba Healthcare delivery system,
were examined. Relying and critically evaluating extant literature, newspapers, interviews and
archival records, the authors demonstrate that she made her marks, not only on the quality work
she put into the field of nursing and midwifery, but also, on how she commanded attention as the
proprietress of a midwifery school and a proficient Structural Engineer, who supervised the
construction of public and maternal health buildings in the colonial Egba Division. Furthermore,
the study has established that despite her advanced age, she put her all to the services of the Egba
people, education of the girl child, women’s welfare, as well as the general development of Egba
land in particular, and Nigeria, as a whole. This study, therefore, fulfills knowledge production in
biographical studies, gender, colonial empires, and also, demonstrates the resilience, perseverance
and dedication of this human enigma, despite the challenges she faced
Description
Keywords
Infant welfare, Colonial Nigeria, Healthcare, maternal healthcare, medicine, women
Citation
29. Thompson, O.O., Afolabi, A. S and Nwaorgu, O.G.F (2019): Sweeter with Age: The Enigmatic Miss Jane McCotter in the Colonial Services of the Egba Native Administration in Abeokuta, Nigeria, 1929 - 1955. Journal of International Women’s Studies. 20 (7), Pp. 334 – 348.