Zenana missions: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Programmes in British India established with the goal of converting women to Christianity}} |
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[[File:High caste women, Harkua, India, ca. 1915 (IMP-CSCNWW33-OS14-37).jpg|thumb|High caste women, Harkua, India, c. 1915<ref>Original caption: "High caste women in zenana at Harkua village in Gopalganj." A zenana (literally meaning "pertaining to women") was the part of the household reserved for women in Muslim south Asian households. These |
[[File:High caste women, Harkua, India, ca. 1915 (IMP-CSCNWW33-OS14-37).jpg|thumb|[[Caste in India|High caste]] women, Harkua, India, c. 1915<ref>Original caption: "High caste women in zenana at Harkua village in Gopalganj." A ''zenana'' (literally meaning "pertaining to women") was the part of the household reserved for women in Muslim south Asian households. These living quarters would be visited by the wives of missionaries as part of mission work.</ref>]] |
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| ⚫ | The '''zenana missions''' were established in the mid 19th century |
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| ⚫ | The '''zenana missions''' were outreach programmes established in [[British India]] with the aim of [[Conversion to Christianity|converting women to Christianity]]. From the mid 19th century, they sent female missionaries into the homes of [[women in India|Indian women]], including the private areas of houses - known as ''[[zenana]]'' - that male visitors were not allowed to see. Gradually these missions expanded from purely evangelical work to providing medical and education services. Hospitals and schools established by these missions are still active, making the ''zenana'' missions an important part of the history of [[Christianity in India]]. |
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| ⚫ | The [[Baptist Missionary Society]] inaugurated zenana missions in India in the mid 19th century. The first zenana mission resulted from a proposal by [[Thomas Smith (missionary)|Thomas Smith]] in 1840, with the mission beginning in 1854, under the supervision of [[John Fordyce (missionary)|John Fordyce]].<ref>"When he [Thomas Smith] went to India, it was impossible for male missionaries to reach the women, all of whom above the very lowest class were shut off from the society of men. Smith's proposal in the 'Christian Observer' in 1840 to send lady missionaries and governesses, both European and Indian, into the zenana bore fruit in the first Zenana mission, which was started in 1854."--William Forbes Gray [[s:Smith, Thomas (1817-1906) (DNB12)|Smith, Thomas (1817-1906) (DNB12)]]</ref> |
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==Background== |
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Women in India at this time were segregated under the [[purdah]] system, being confined to |
Women in India at this time were segregated under the [[purdah]] system, being confined to women's quarters known as a [[zenana]], which men unrelated to them were forbidden to enter. The zenana missions were made up of female missionaries who could visit Indian women in their own homes with the aim of converting them to Christianity. |
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The purdah system made it impossible for many Indian women, especially high status women, to access [[health care]], and many were needlessly dying and suffering. By training as doctors and nurses, the women of the zenana missions could be accepted by the women of India in a way that men would not have been. |
The purdah system made it impossible for many Indian women, especially high status women, to access [[health care]], and many were needlessly dying and suffering. By training as doctors and nurses, the women of the zenana missions could be accepted by the women of India in a way that men would not have been. |
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| ⚫ | By the 1880s, the |
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| ⚫ | The [[Baptist Missionary Society]] inaugurated [[zenana]] missions in India in the mid 19th century. The first zenana mission resulted from a proposal by [[Thomas Smith (missionary)|Thomas Smith]] in 1840, with the mission beginning in 1854, under the supervision of [[John Fordyce (missionary)|John Fordyce]].<ref>"When he [Thomas Smith] went to India, it was impossible for male missionaries to reach the women, all of whom above the very lowest class were shut off from the society of men. Smith's proposal in the 'Christian Observer' in 1840 to send lady missionaries and governesses, both European and Indian, into the zenana bore fruit in the first Zenana mission, which was started in 1854."--William Forbes Gray [[s:Smith, Thomas (1817-1906) (DNB12)|Smith, Thomas (1817-1906) (DNB12)]]</ref> [[Hana Catherine Mullens]] is known as one of the most efficient zenana workers in India, and won the title of "the Apostle of the Zenanas." In 1856, Mrs. Mullens set up a small school at Bhawanipur, with twenty three students aged between eight and twenty.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Zenana Missions|last=Pitman|first=Emma|publisher=John Snow & Co.|year=1903|location=England|pages=20–21}}</ref> The Calcutta Normal school was established in the same year, to train native women for zenana work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Normal_School|title=Normal School - Banglapedia|website=en.banglapedia.org|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | By the 1880s, the zenana missions had expanded their ministry, opening schools to provide education for girls, including the principles of the Christian faith. This programme also included home visits, the establishment women's hospitals and the opening of segregated women's wards in general hospitals. One society, the [[International Service Fellowship|Zenana Bible and Medical Mission]], was involved in recruiting female doctors, both by persuading female doctors in [[Europe]] to come to India and by encouraging Indian women to study medicine in their pursuit of conversion. As a result, the Zenana missions helped break down the male bias against colonial medicine in India to a small extent.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorymission00richgoog|title=A history of missions in India|author=Richter|first=Julius|publisher=Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier|year=1908|location=Edinburgh}}</ref> |
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In the 1930s, the Zenana missions expanded further into healthcare. The Elizabeth Newman Hospital was opened by [[Beatrice Marian Smyth]]. This sixty bed hospital assisted with blood transfusions, child births, and anaemia cases among men, women, children, and people from all over Kashmir, India. |
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The work of the Baptists inspired the formation of a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Anglican]] missionary society, the [[Church of England Zenana Missionary Society]] (founded 1880), which was involved in sending missionaries to mission stations in countries such as India (19th and 20th centuries) and late [[Qing dynasty]] [[China]], beginning in 1884.<ref name="WardStanley2000">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVXuAAAAMAAJ|title=The Church Mission Society and World Christianity: 1799 - 1999|last=Murray|first=Jocelyn|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing|year=2000|isbn=978-0-8028-3875-9|editor-last1=Ward|editor-first1=Kevin|location=Grand Rapids, MI|pages=66–90|chapter=The Role of Women in the Church Missionary Society, 1799–1917|editor-last2=Stanley|editor-first2=Brian}}</ref> Zenana missionaries had their establishments at Trivandrum, Palamcotta (Sarah Tucker College), Masulipatnam and Madras in South India, and Meerut, Jabalpur, Calcutta and Amritsar in North India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb150-cez|title=Records of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society - Archives Hub|website=archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> |
The work of the Baptists inspired the formation of a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Anglican]] missionary society, the [[Church of England Zenana Missionary Society]] (founded 1880), which was involved in sending missionaries to mission stations in countries such as India (19th and 20th centuries) and late [[Qing dynasty]] [[China]], beginning in 1884.<ref name="WardStanley2000">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sVXuAAAAMAAJ|title=The Church Mission Society and World Christianity: 1799 - 1999|last=Murray|first=Jocelyn|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing|year=2000|isbn=978-0-8028-3875-9|editor-last1=Ward|editor-first1=Kevin|location=Grand Rapids, MI|pages=66–90|chapter=The Role of Women in the Church Missionary Society, 1799–1917|editor-last2=Stanley|editor-first2=Brian|editor-link2=Brian Stanley (historian)}}</ref> Zenana missionaries had their establishments at [[Thiruvananthapuram|Trivandrum]], [[Palayamkottai|Palamcotta]] (Sarah Tucker College), [[Machilipatnam|Masulipatnam]] and [[Chennai|Madras]] in South India, and [[Meerut]], [[Jabalpur]], [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] and [[Amritsar]] in North India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb150-cez|title=Records of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society - Archives Hub|website=archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk|access-date=2019-01-19}}</ref> |
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== Bible women in India == |
== Bible women in India == |
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Educated Indian Christian women, who worked as assistants to the zenana missionaries were known as Bible women. They came from notable families and worked among poor women in villages, towns, hospitals, schools, etc |
Educated Indian Christian women, who worked as assistants to the zenana missionaries were known as [[Bible woman|Bible women]]. They came from notable families and worked among poor women in villages, towns, hospitals, schools, etc. The Bible women, helped bridge the vast cultural differences between the English missionaries and the village folk. The Bible women used indigenous ideas to teach and preach their ideals of a Christian God to the women of the subcontinent. They used music to reach out to its wide audience - to attract more women and to provide a commentary on the verses from Bible. Bible women wore white saris and carried cloth covered Bibles, representative of their virtuous identity. They stopped wearing jewellery and deprived themselves of all forms of vanity.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Tamil Bible women and Zenana missions of colonial South India|journal = History of Religions|volume = 39|issue = 2|pages = 117–149|last=Kent|first=Eliza|jstor = 3176390|year = 1999|doi = 10.1086/463584| s2cid=161222435 }}</ref> Bible women took up various roles in the zenana missions. They taught in girls' schools, which were attended by all classes. Bible women visited the zenana, taught women and girls there, preached religious values and worked for the general good of the women. They also visited native women in hospitals and homes, providing healthcare services and facilities.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Zenan Missions|last=Pitman|first=Emma|publisher=John Snow & Co.|year=1903|location=England|pages=36–38}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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* [[Bible woman]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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*Emma Raymond Pitman ''[https://archive.org/stream/MN40255ucmf_6/MN40255ucmf_6_djvu.txt Indian Zenana Missions]''. London: John Snow, [1890?] |
*Emma Raymond Pitman ''[https://archive.org/stream/MN40255ucmf_6/MN40255ucmf_6_djvu.txt Indian Zenana Missions]''. London: John Snow, [1890?] |
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*Helen Catharine Mackenzie: ''Life in the Mission, the Camp, and the Zenáná; or Six Years in India.'' London: Richard Bentley, 1853. |
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[[Category:Christian missions in China]] |
[[Category:Christian missions in China]] |
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[[Category:Christian missions in India]] |
[[Category:Christian missions in India]] |
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[[Category:Women-only spaces]] |
[[Category:Women-only spaces]] |
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[[Category:Health care]] |
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[[Category:History of women in India]] |
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Latest revision as of 00:19, 27 June 2024
.jpg)
The zenana missions were outreach programmes established in British India with the aim of converting women to Christianity. From the mid 19th century, they sent female missionaries into the homes of Indian women, including the private areas of houses - known as zenana - that male visitors were not allowed to see. Gradually these missions expanded from purely evangelical work to providing medical and education services. Hospitals and schools established by these missions are still active, making the zenana missions an important part of the history of Christianity in India.
Background
[edit]Women in India at this time were segregated under the purdah system, being confined to women's quarters known as a zenana, which men unrelated to them were forbidden to enter. The zenana missions were made up of female missionaries who could visit Indian women in their own homes with the aim of converting them to Christianity.
The purdah system made it impossible for many Indian women, especially high status women, to access health care, and many were needlessly dying and suffering. By training as doctors and nurses, the women of the zenana missions could be accepted by the women of India in a way that men would not have been.
History
[edit]_(14756890926).jpg)
The Baptist Missionary Society inaugurated zenana missions in India in the mid 19th century. The first zenana mission resulted from a proposal by Thomas Smith in 1840, with the mission beginning in 1854, under the supervision of John Fordyce.[2] Hana Catherine Mullens is known as one of the most efficient zenana workers in India, and won the title of "the Apostle of the Zenanas." In 1856, Mrs. Mullens set up a small school at Bhawanipur, with twenty three students aged between eight and twenty.[3] The Calcutta Normal school was established in the same year, to train native women for zenana work.[4]
By the 1880s, the zenana missions had expanded their ministry, opening schools to provide education for girls, including the principles of the Christian faith. This programme also included home visits, the establishment women's hospitals and the opening of segregated women's wards in general hospitals. One society, the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission, was involved in recruiting female doctors, both by persuading female doctors in Europe to come to India and by encouraging Indian women to study medicine in their pursuit of conversion. As a result, the Zenana missions helped break down the male bias against colonial medicine in India to a small extent.[5]
In the 1930s, the Zenana missions expanded further into healthcare. The Elizabeth Newman Hospital was opened by Beatrice Marian Smyth. This sixty bed hospital assisted with blood transfusions, child births, and anaemia cases among men, women, children, and people from all over Kashmir, India.
The work of the Baptists inspired the formation of a British Anglican missionary society, the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (founded 1880), which was involved in sending missionaries to mission stations in countries such as India (19th and 20th centuries) and late Qing dynasty China, beginning in 1884.[6] Zenana missionaries had their establishments at Trivandrum, Palamcotta (Sarah Tucker College), Masulipatnam and Madras in South India, and Meerut, Jabalpur, Calcutta and Amritsar in North India.[7]
Bible women in India
[edit]Educated Indian Christian women, who worked as assistants to the zenana missionaries were known as Bible women. They came from notable families and worked among poor women in villages, towns, hospitals, schools, etc. The Bible women, helped bridge the vast cultural differences between the English missionaries and the village folk. The Bible women used indigenous ideas to teach and preach their ideals of a Christian God to the women of the subcontinent. They used music to reach out to its wide audience - to attract more women and to provide a commentary on the verses from Bible. Bible women wore white saris and carried cloth covered Bibles, representative of their virtuous identity. They stopped wearing jewellery and deprived themselves of all forms of vanity.[8] Bible women took up various roles in the zenana missions. They taught in girls' schools, which were attended by all classes. Bible women visited the zenana, taught women and girls there, preached religious values and worked for the general good of the women. They also visited native women in hospitals and homes, providing healthcare services and facilities.[9]
References
[edit]
- ^ Original caption: "High caste women in zenana at Harkua village in Gopalganj." A zenana (literally meaning "pertaining to women") was the part of the household reserved for women in Muslim south Asian households. These living quarters would be visited by the wives of missionaries as part of mission work.
- ^ "When he [Thomas Smith] went to India, it was impossible for male missionaries to reach the women, all of whom above the very lowest class were shut off from the society of men. Smith's proposal in the 'Christian Observer' in 1840 to send lady missionaries and governesses, both European and Indian, into the zenana bore fruit in the first Zenana mission, which was started in 1854."--William Forbes Gray Smith, Thomas (1817-1906) (DNB12)
- ^ Pitman, Emma (1903). Indian Zenana Missions. England: John Snow & Co. pp. 20–21.
- ^ "Normal School - Banglapedia". en.banglapedia.org. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ Richter, Julius (1908). A history of missions in India. Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier.
- ^ Murray, Jocelyn (2000). "The Role of Women in the Church Missionary Society, 1799–1917". In Ward, Kevin; Stanley, Brian (eds.). The Church Mission Society and World Christianity: 1799 - 1999. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing. pp. 66–90. ISBN 978-0-8028-3875-9.
- ^ "Records of the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society - Archives Hub". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ Kent, Eliza (1999). "Tamil Bible women and Zenana missions of colonial South India". History of Religions. 39 (2): 117–149. doi:10.1086/463584. JSTOR 3176390. S2CID 161222435.
- ^ Pitman, Emma (1903). Indian Zenan Missions. England: John Snow & Co. pp. 36–38.
External links
[edit]- Emma Raymond Pitman Indian Zenana Missions. London: John Snow, [1890?]
- Helen Catharine Mackenzie: Life in the Mission, the Camp, and the Zenáná; or Six Years in India. London: Richard Bentley, 1853.