Women and the Rise of Nutrition Science in Interwar Britain and British Africa

During the Great Depression, economic recovery and nutritional improvement in Britain coincided with a decline in British Africa. The British state's role in preserving the welfare of its citizens and subjects, particularly women, was questioned due to widespread malnutrition. International organizations, empire-wide projects, and individuals contributed to a dense web of ideas on nutrition. Women, especially of the working class, bore the brunt of the struggle to access nutritious food. This book offers a unique perspective by examining nutrition science in both Britain and Africa through the lens of economics, gender, and empire, contributing to research on British and African history, the British Empire, women's history, and the history of science, medicine, and health.

Format: Hardback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

In the aftermath of the Great Depression, a remarkable convergence of economic recovery and nutritional improvement transpired in Britain, coinciding with a decline in British Africa. While histories of science, medicine, and the British Empire have been extensively explored, the field of nutrition science has received relatively limited attention. The prevalence of widespread malnutrition between the World Wars raised critical questions about the role of the British state in safeguarding the welfare of its citizens and subjects, particularly women, who played a vital role in feeding their families. International organizations such as the League of Nations, empire-wide projects like nutrition surveys conducted by the Committee for Nutrition in the Colonial Empire (CNCE), sub-imperial networks of medical and teaching professionals, and individuals on the ground intertwined a complex web of ideas on nutrition. Women, particularly from the working class, bore the brunt of the struggle to access nutritious food as a wave of interest in the new science of nutrition swept across the globe during the interwar period, with imperial Britain leading the way.

The British state played a pivotal role in buoying the economic slump by importing more colonial goods at cheaper prices, thereby feeding metropolitan Brits, particularly in Africa, on the back of the colonial empire. This book stands out for its unique approach, which brings nutrition science in both Britain and Africa under a unified analytic lens of economics, gender, and empire. By doing so, it contributes significantly to research on British and African history, British Empire, women's history, and the history of science, medicine, and health.

Weight: 412g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031235207
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023