Nursing the empire, building the state: female health professionals and politics in 1950s Ethiopia and Sudan

This paper offers a comparative analysis of the social and political status of female health professionals–particularly nurses and midwives–in Ethiopia and Sudan during the 1950s. It explores how these women came to occupy markedly different statuses within their respective nation-building processes, despite sharing a common regional history of imperial and colonial medical initiatives. From the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, Ottoman- Egyptian, French, British, Italian, and Ethiopian imperial projects were all deeply intertwined with the medicalisation of childbirth and the establishment of nursing and midwifery schools and hospitals across Northeast Africa. These institutions later became sites of political investment for actors involved in the 1950s nation-building projects. The study outlines the emergence of professional training for nurses and midwives in Northeast Africa, then examines the training policies and political roles of female healthcare personnel in Ethiopia and Sudan during the 1950s. Primary sources include British and Italian official reports as well as Sudanese and Ethiopian journals from the period. By employing a broad regional and historical perspective, the paper argues that the differing social statuses and political roles of nurses and midwives in Sudan and Ethiopia are best understood within the transition from imperial to national political orders.