Glen Grey Mission Hospital, early 1940s

this picture is from the Archive of the Catholic Diocese of Queenstown.

Maria Kunz on "District Tour"

"Kompetenzzentrum Afrika"

Afrikaforschung wird von der Universität Basel weiter aktiv gefördert.

12.12.2008
Erste Kompetenzzentren an der Universität Basel bewilligt

Zur Stärkung der Qualität in der Forschung werden an der Universität Basel neue Kompetenzzentren eingerichtet. In den Bereichen Afrika, Neurowissenschaften und Stammzellen hat der Universitätsrat bisher drei davon bewilligt. Weitere werden 2009 folgen.

Die Kompetenzzentren werden mit Beiträgen aus dem neu eingerichteten Forschungsfonds der Universität mitfinanziert, der fakultätsübergreifend angelegt ist. Wie in der «Strategie 2007» festgelegt, können sich Forschende dabei auf verschiedenen Gebieten zu interdisziplinären Kompetenzzentren zusammenschliessen. Ziele dieses neuen Instruments sind die Förderung von exzellenter Forschung, von Forschungsverbünden und besonders auch des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses an der Universität Basel.

Bisher bewilligt hat der Universitätsrat auf Vorschlag der Forschungskommission die ersten drei transfakultären Kompetenzzentren mit Anschubfinanzierungen für jeweils vier Jahre; mehrere weitere werden im nächsten Jahr folgen. Eingerichtet werden als Erstes das Kompetenzzentrum «Afrika», das Kompetenzzentrum «Neurosciences» und das Kompetenzzentrum «Stem Cell Network». Diese Zentren sind jeweils mit Partnern inner- und ausserhalb der Universität Basel vernetzt.

maria kunz in the Cape Archives

I have today found some hours to check documentation on Glen Grey Mission Hospital in the National Archives Repository in Cape Town. And, luckily, I have found material on the 1940s, including yearly reports and reports on hospital inspections by committees.
There is yet a lot to do. Partly because there is not just a history of Maria Kunz, but also of the many trained nurses in the training college. From what I have seen today, the hospital was a training institution for African nurses from it's very beginning and it was from about 1942/43 that it was considered a first class training institution by the South African Medical Council.
Keep tuned while the story grows

Maria Kunz from Liestal/BL: First Catholic medical missionary of Switzerland

One of the most important persons in the history of Swiss medical missionaries is the late Maria Kunz. Maria Kunz was the first Catholic missionary doctor in Switzerland. Not least she became well known in Switzerland and Germany for her great work at Glen Grey Hospital while this hospital was under the guidance of the Diocese of Queenstown until the mid 1970s.

Maria Kunz in the Historische Lexikon der Schweiz:
http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D45423.php

Maria Kunz in the Personenlexikon of the Kanton Basel-land
http://www.baselland.ch/KUNZ_Maria-htm.294118.0.html

more information on Maria Kunz will follow in this place.

Postkoloniale Schweiz: Workshop an der Uni Basel

WERBUNG:

7. / 8. November 2008
Workshop «Postkoloniale Schweiz – Themen und Debatten»
Historisches Seminar Basel, Hirschgässlein 21
FREITAG, 7. November
9.30-10.30 Einleitung: Barbara Luethi
Inputblock I, Moderation: Konrad Kuhn
10.30-11.00 Thomas David: Post-colonial philanthropy? Anti-slavery movements in
Switzerland (1880-1910)
Andreas Zangger: Die fünfte Schweiz als Kolonialhelferin
11.00-11.15 Pause
11.15-11.30 Kommentar: Patrick Harries
11.30-12.30 Diskussion
12.30-14.00 Mittagessen
Inputblock II, Moderation: Bernhard Schär
14.00-15.30 Nadia Baghdadi: Von der «Orientalin» zur «Muslimin». Postkoloniale (Dis-
)Kontinuitäten im Spiegel von Migrationsbiografien
Rohit Jain: Transnationale Konstruktionsprozesse von «Indianness» bei
InderInnen der zweiten Generation in der Schweiz
Francesca Falk: Postkoloniale Konstellationen und illegalisierte Migration
15.30-15.45 Pause
15.45-16.00 Kommentar: Therese Steffen
16.00-17.00 Diskussion
SAMSTAG, 8. November
Inputblock III, Moderation: Barbara Luethi
9.30-10.30 Patricia Purtschert: Von Patriarchen und Pantoffelhelden. Repräsentationen
von Männlichkeit in Publikationen der Basler Mission 1860-1900
Bernhard Schär und Miko Iso: «Indios» und «Irre». Kolonialer Rassismus und
eugenisches Denken im Briefwechsel von Otto Stoll und Auguste Forel
10.30-10.45 Pause
10.45-11.00 Kommentar: Harald Fischer-Tiné
11.00-11.30 Diskussion
11.30-12.30 Abschlussdiskussion, Moderation: Stephan Meyer
Workshop «Postkoloniale Schweiz – Themen und Debatten»
OrganisatorInnen: Patricia Purtschert, Barbara Luethi, Bernhard Schär und Konrad Kuhn
Fast zeitgleich mit der verspäteten Rezeption und Analyse der Auswirkungen kolonialer
Strukturen und Erfahrungen in Deutschland erscheinen seit den 1990er Jahren auch in der
Schweiz Untersuchungen, die die Verwicklungen mit dem Kolonialismus deutlich machen.
Zu nennen sind Studien über den transantlantischen Sklavenhandel, die Missionstätigkeit
oder über Völkerschauen in Schweizer Städten. Diese Thematiken werden im Workshop
aufgegriffen und mit den Ansätzen der Postcolonial Studies in Verbindung gebracht, deren
Rezeption in der Schweiz erst beginnt.
Auch wenn die Postcolonial Studies keine einheitliche Theorie darstellen, liefern sie
hilfreiche Denkansätze bei der Frage nach den kolonialen Verflechtungen und
Rückwirkungen auf die europäische Geschichte bis hinein in die postkoloniale Zeit. Die
koloniale Erfahrung gilt folglich – wenn auch in unterschiedlicher Manier – nicht nur für alle
Gesellschaften, sondern hat Auswirkungen bis hin zur Gegenwart, was etwa am Beispiel von
transnationalen Immigrantenkulturen oder der Fortschreibung rassistischer
Argumentationsfiguren deutlich wird.
Inwiefern kann man in der Schweiz, welche formal keine Kolonialmacht war, von
Postkolonialismus sprechen? Was wäre der theoretische und empirische Gewinn dieser
Herangehensweise für die Geschichts-, Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften? Welche Formen
der interdisziplinären Zusammenarbeit müssten entwickelt werden? Was bedeutet es, dass
ein Grossteil des Archivs, in dem das “Wissen” über die “Dritte Welt” entsteht, in den
(Forschungs-)Institutionen der Metropolen generiert wurde und wird?
Dies sind nur einige Fragen, die es zu reflektieren gilt. Die Workshopteilnehmer/innen sind
aufgefordert, aufgrund ihrer eigenen Projekte und Forschungserfahrungen weitere Fragen zu
entwickeln und mögliche Ergebnisse zu präsentieren.

What's a health system?

Current discussions in our team have put the notion of a health system to the test. For our purpose "health system" is highly problematic. Obviously the pluralistic character of "medical systems" has been understood today. Still, health system's planners do not problematize the systemic character enough. As working terms, I will test "health structure/therapeutical services structure/public health structure" and "health organisation/therpeutical services organisation/public health organisation" to get rid of "health system" as term for analytical purposes. To reflect the manyfold medical and (social etc..) environmental components that constitute the ecology of health and disease in specific situations, I will have to reflect on these terms: "healthsituation"; "oikos of health"; "healthscape"...
If you have any suggestions?

Conference on Global Histories of Development

hier wird der link zur h sozkult rezension kommen, ist noch in der redaktionsphase

GDR support for Ifakara

In the 1970's a student group from Marburg, Aktionsgruppe Tanzania, has been sending substatial material support to the Leprosarium Nazareti in Ifakara through the international red cross. Gregory Witkowksi, who researches the history of this student initative has presented a research paper on this topic at last weekend's conference "Towards a Global History of Development" held at the ETH Zürich.

Ifakara Hospital: Interviews

This week I meet Dr. Edgar Widmer. Edgar Widmer has worked in Ifakara in the early 1960's. He has also been active in international health for 40 years or more.

>>here foto of dissertation: follows<<

Hospital History in Africa: Conference in CapeTown

Dear Friends, look out for more information on the Conference taking place in Cape Town, 24-26 November on the History of Hospitals in Africa.
More information will soon be available here.

HHSA Project started even stronger

The history of health systems project has started with its full team conducting research since yesterday.
We are also preparing a workshop on the history of hospitals in Africa taking place in Cape Town, South Africa this November.
Our new office premises are: Steinengraben 5, First Floor, Room O112.

New offices for HHSA team

Also we started moving into our new offices. We will be housed in the building of the Centre for African Studies, Steinengraben 5. Our new phone number is 0041 (0)61 267 14 98.

New researcher in the HHSA project

We are very happy to welcome a third researcher in our History of Health Systems in Africa team. Dr. Hines Mabiko joines our team next month. We are very happy to have such a competent researcher as part of our team.

bilateral research seminars

Swiss National Science Foundation calls for applications for bilateral research seminars Swiss-South Africa. Call open till 25.11.2008. Details:
http://www.snf.ch/D/NewsPool/Seiten/news_080917_Ausschreibung_CH_Suedafrika.aspx

network for history of hospitals in africa, india, southern america, the middle east

this is a call for communications. if you are interested in such a networking possibility, please contact me

conf society for the social history of medicine, glasgow

Greetings from a very interesting conference in Glasgow. I presented a paper that focused on how Swiss doctors in Ifakara discussed health needs and a convienent structure of the hospital to answer such needs: preventive and curative services?. Contact me if you wish to know more about this. marcel{punkt]dreier{at?unibas(.)ch

Researcher in Medical History: Extension of application date

We have decided to extend the call for applications to the researcher post (see below). You can still hand in your documentation by the 15th of september.

Lukas Meier

An interesting project on the history of the Swiss Tropical Field Laboratories in Africa is currently beeing researched by Lukas Meier.
This is an invitation to him, to see whether he is interested in joining the blogging community?

Researcher post

For a Ph.Diss study on the history of Elim Hospital in the northern part of South Africa, we are currently looking for a researcher. It is a certainly a nice post in a dynamic research environment.

Researcher in Medical History of Africa

Within the research project "History of Health Systems in Africa" there is an open position for a PhD researcher.

Job description: Complete a study in fulfilment of a PhD at the University of Basel on the history of Elim Hospital in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The period covers 1899-2000. Work closely with at least two other colleagues in a project on the history of (Swiss) mission hospitals in Africa (Agogo in Ghana and Ifakara in Tanzania). Participate in senior seminars and a small amount of teaching.

Deadline for application: 15 August 2008

Further information:
http://www.unibas-zasb.ch/english/news/2008/07/HHSA.php

Proceed with this blog?

Dear reader, in what form this blog is going to be continued is not yet decided. It has been created as a test.

The latest news about my own research process is:
I am currently transcribing a series of interviews with Karl and Irmengard Schöpf recorded last week.
I am planning a series of further research and writing activities in August. Details on the results are going to be published here.

VAD/SGAS Conference

This conference has been a success. Featuring a "forum" on "bioethics" and a panel on "health on the move" it has strengthened the HHSA project. In general we have again brought together scholars from both medical and social research into a discussion on ethical, historical, and methodological issues. Relating to the historical focus of the HHSA project, the presentations by Walima Kalusa (University of Zambia, Lusaka) and Helen Sweet (Wellcome unit for the history of medicine, Oxford) as well as the one by Esthelle Kouakam Magne (Université de Provence) have all shown how former missonary medical endeavours have been transformed in the second half of the 20th century. Not least, we have agreed that the history of these institutions keeps to influence much of their services, as well as the health policies in broader terms.
For more information on the conference papers, please contact marcel.dreier((at))unibas.ch.

Papers read in the missionmedicine-historical section were entitled:
- Walima T. Kalusa: From an Agency of Cultural Destruction to an Agency of Public Health: Transformations in Catholic Missionary Medicine in Post-Colonial Zambia, 1964-1982.
- Helen Sweet: Rural Healthcare: racial borders and boundaries. Medical and nursing relationships and experiences in rural South Africa c.1915-1975.
- Esthelle Kouakam Magne: Healing bodies without souls? The social and institutional identities of Medical Mission services in a changing health system - the case of Cameroon.

HHSA Main project started

Since may 1 the main project of HHSA has started.

happy birthday

this post has been deleted

hospital?

here is the hospital of Sr. Bertha Hardegger in Paray, RSA in the late 1930s. more information on this will follow.

Tanzania picture test

now that is the second test, how about pictures? It is forbidden to take pictures of hospitals in Tanzania. I do not know, where that hospital entrance suddenly came from.

Tanzania

As this blog still is in his testing period, I try this to find how convenient it is to communicate from within Tanzania.

comment: it works quick (text only).

Intl. Research Seminary on Hospital History

The Seminar on hospital history has been a success. The participants decided in the final session to proceed their cooperation in the next years. This shall lead to further workshops as well as collaboration for an international conference on the history of mission hospitals, probably taking place in South Africa in 2009.
More information on the Seminar:

link broken, sorry

hhsa information auf ZASB website

neu findet Sie weitere infomationen zum Projekt History of health Systems auf
http://www.unibas-zasb.ch/redakteure/harries/health.php