New Publication: Seniority in Midwifery in Tanzania – Medical Local Practices Between Colonial Medicine and Postcolonial Modernization

By Veronica Kimani and Ulrike Lindner (Project C07 Creating Health Futures).

Abstract

Concepts of seniority and elderhood were important structuring elements in many societies of precolonial Africa and were connected with social status. This changed with the European colonization of Africa, and strongly affected traditional cultures of elderhood and seniority. On a general level, this societal change took place through efforts at ‘modernization’, in the field of midwifery and maternity mainly through mission education and the introduction of Western medicine. The impact of colonialism continued in the postcolonial era when the former emphasis placed on old age as a structuring factor for societal hierarchies was partly replaced by other factors such as political power, monetary wealth (in the new capitalist economy), or the level of education, including access to scientific knowledge. These changes were certainly not always as linear as often portrayed in earlier historical research. In the case of traditional midwifery, several studies have shown its transformation through the process of medicalization and the decline of traditional midwives. However, in this paper, we will look at medical practice and analyse how – since colonial times – the attempts to end or transform traditional midwifery have been contested, had setbacks, and been full of varying, sometimes antagonistic developments. Using Kilombero in Tanzania as an example, we show how the services of traditional midwives continue to be sought, even in independent Tanzania. In this respect, the concept of age and seniority play a key role. Besides strong external influences, internal cultural interplay still favours the concept of elderhood, leading to the survival of traditional midwives.

Reference

Kimani, V., Lindner, U. 2024. Seniority in Midwifery in Tanzania: Medical Local Practices Between Colonial Medicine and Postcolonial Modernization. Nordic Journal of African Studies33(4), 304–325. DOI

More CRC News

portrait image of clemens greiner

Clemens Greiner Appointed Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape

Clemens Greiner, researcher in Project C02 Energy Futures, Academic Coordinator of the Global South Studies Center (GSSC) and adjunct Professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the ...
Read More »
Group of researchers during a visit to the Bonn Heritage Lab

Exploring Decolonial Heritage: A Visit to the Global Heritage Lab

In June, a group of Future Rural Africa researchers visited the Global Heritage Lab in Bonn. The Global Heritage Lab is a research hub and ...
Read More »
image of ruth hall, prof. at the university of the western cape

Ruth Hall Appointed Director of PLAAS

Ruth Hall, Professor at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa, has been appointed Director of the Institute for Poverty, Land and ...
Read More »
map of green hydrogen infrastructure in southern Africa

Planning the Future: Comparing Green Hydrogen Strategies in Chile, Namibia, and South Africa

In their publication, Benedikt Walker and Britta Klagge (Project C02 Energy Futures) alongside Ravn Haid (University of Bonn) examine how spatial planning influences the development ...
Read More »
picture of a field with kale

Call for Workshop Scholarships: Transdisciplinary RLC Workshop on Rural Development and Smallholder Agriculture

The RLC Campus at ZEF, University of Bonn, Germany, offers scholarships for PhD students from Africa, Asia and Latin America, who are currently studying at ...
Read More »
Scroll to Top