Missionary Women, Leprosy and Indigenous Australians, 1936–1986

The book explores the lives of indigenous patients and Catholic women missionaries who nursed them in twentieth-century Australian leprosaria, offering fresh perspectives on two important strands of history. It contextualizes the twentieth-century leprosy epidemic within Australia's broader colonial history and exposes the institutional practices and goals specific to race relations of both the Australian government and Catholic missionaries.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 265 pages
Publication date: 03 October 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This book delves into the lives of indigenous patients and Catholic women missionaries who cared for them in twentieth-century Australian leprosaria. It differs from previous studies by examining the care and management of the incarcerated, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their experience beyond the common narrative of banishment, oppression, and death. From the 1930s to the 1980s, governments appointed trained sisters to four leprosaria in remote northern Australia, where thousands of people were removed from their homes and detained for extended periods, sometimes decades. The book traces the sisters' holistic nursing, from initial efforts of amelioration and palliation to their role in the successful treatment of leprosy after World War II. It reveals how the sisters went beyond their assigned roles and sought to shape the institutions as centers of health and hygiene, European culture and education, and Christianity. Drawing on accounts from patients, doctors, bureaucrats, missionary men, and Indigenous families and communities, the book offers fresh perspectives on two significant historical threads. Firstly, it sheds light on the day-to-day work of Australian sisters in leprosy healthcare, demystifying the role of female missionaries in this field. Secondly, it exposes the institutional practices and goals related to race relations of both the Australian government and Catholic missionaries. This book is a valuable and timely read for anyone interested in Indigenous history, medical history, and the intersections of race, religion, and healthcare. It contextualizes the twentieth-century leprosy epidemic within Australia's broader historical context, highlighting the complex and multifaceted nature of this disease and its impact on marginalized communities.

Weight: 374g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031057984
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022