Call for Papers: Medical Missions and Health
Call for Papers Journal of Social History of Medicine and Health Special Issue on Medical Missions and Health
The term “Medical Missions” is most strongly associated with nineteenth and twentieth century Christian missionaries from Europe and the United States traveling to countries in Asia, Africa, or Latin America and practicing medicine, providing education leading to careers in medicine (physicians, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, etc.) and, especially as the twentieth century progressed, conducting work in public health. Both at the time and later, supporters of missions cited medical missions as tangible evidence of the value of missionary work, and even those critical of missionary endeavors more broadly frequently praised medical missionaries. Scholars have also explored how medical missionaries have contributed to “modernization.” From the 1980s onward, however, scholars have explored connections between medical missions and imperialism. This is connected to broader scholarship on the links between the spread of medical techniques and education associated with “scientific medicine” and imperialist ideologies, and can be found in scholarship on “missionaries of science” such as people associated with the Rockefeller Foundation as well as missionaries dedicated to the propagation of specific religious ideologies. At the same time, scholarship on how local actors interpreted and adapted missionary medical programs challenged a simple model of medical imperialism. Scholarship on medical missions has extended into the twenty-first century, studying medical missions amid growing globalization and new medical challenges.
This special issue seeks essays that contend with these issues pertaining to the study of medical missions, broadly conceived, from any time period and in any location. The definition of “medical missions” is deliberately flexible. If scholar can make a case that their topic fits into the category of “medical missions” the article will be considered. To ensure consideration papers must be submitted by March 28, 2018 to shemoca@plattsburgh.edu . Earlier inquiries are welcome. Essays should be between 7500 and 9500 words.
The language of the journal is Chinese, but English language submissions are welcome and will be translated into Chinese.