Writing International Nursing History: What Does It Mean?

In taking on, coordinating, researching, and eventually writing a centennial history of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing embarked on an exciting, much needed, and also challenging project. The Center was only in its early phase of development when Joan Lynaugh, then director, agreed to take up the challenge of writing a more global nursing history. Under her skillful and energizing academic leadership, a team of international nursing history schol- ars worked on the book Nurses of All Nations from the early 1990s until its eventual publication in the ICN's centennial year, 1999.The exciting part of the experience was-probably very similar to what the ICN membership had also experienced all along-to become part of an international community of scholars and professionals. Furthermore, it was inspiring to debate ideas, ponder approaches, and, to explore the topic, to link with an international network of people familiar with international developments. Many of these people were or had firsthand involvement in international nursing affairs and health initiatives. We were fortunate to learn from many experts where to find documents and with whom to talk to. We visited many organizations and archives. We traveled around the globe and met many nurses from the most diverse places and contexts in the process. The project went beyond national and cultural boundaries in that we did not seek to write a history of individual national nursing organizations. Rather, we set it our goal to establish an international per- spective on nurses' professional identity and diversity. We were as much interested in understanding what had been the glue that had bound nurses from around the globe together in one international professional organization for so long, and we were curious to explore what had made the ICN meaningful to nurses who profoundly differed in race, ethnicity, religion, language, culture, nationality, and lived in very different political, economic and social contexts.1 We traced five perspectives throughout the book, including the subtle changing self-image of the ICN; its responses to issues of race, class, and gender; the meaning attached to nursing and the profession; nursing diplomacy and organizational survival; and personal friendships and travel.The ICN started out as a small organization in the broader context of the women's movement. For almost a century, the ICN has sustained its place as an important and meaningful organization for nurses from around the world. From the outset, its main goal has been to unite nurses worldwide through a confederation of national nursing organizations. The confederation addressed matters important to both the profession of nursing and people's health. Motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm banded nurses together despite turbulent social and economic changes, hardships of war, and pro- found cultural differences.The organization itself was founded in 1899; it was the initiative of the British nurse and suffragist Ethel Gordon Manson, later Mrs. Bedford Fen- wick, a prominent leader of the British Nurses Association (BNA). The profes- sional welfare of nurses, the interests of women, and the improvement of the people's health were intertwined goals for the founders of the ICN. But the new organization also reflected relations of cultural dominance of the time, rooted in colonialism and white supremacy. Although the organization's goal was to unite nurses internationally, the founding leaders all originated from Western Europe and North America, reflecting colonial relations of cultural dominance.Nursing as a respected, paid professional occupation for women from the middle class was a new phenomenon at the end of the 19th century. Health care profoundly changed as a result of industrialization and urbanization and shaped the demand for nurses. Scientific advancement of medicine trig- gered the rapid development of modern hospitals and led to the foundation of hospital schools for the professional training of nurses. …

BackgroundNurses have a rich history in performing their duty both domestically and internationally in response to a disaster. Comprising the largest proportion of the healthcare workforce, nurses possess a unique opportunity to inform disaster planning and management. With the ongoing threat from COVID-19 and continuing conflict, humanitarian aid needs, epidemics and natural disasters; the capacity of nurses to continue to respond in times of global need is unparalleled.AimsThe aim of this paper is to explore the developments in the field of disaster nursing. Mapping key changes in policy, practice and outcomes.MethodsA qualitative interpretive historical review was conducted to examine core developments in the history of disaster nursing, examining key organisations (e.g. World Health Organization, International Council of Nurses), national and international policies and historical accounts.Results29 articles were analysed, and politics, strategic perspectives and nursing identity (‘sense of duty’ and roles) emerged from the literature. The influence of professionalisation and public health/health promotion emerged next. A total of 10 articles refer to disaster nursing specifically, of which 4 of these are reports/policy.ConclusionsNurses have spent centuries building the trust and legitimacy of the profession. Disaster nursing goes beyond the expectations of a registered nurse. The responsibilities of a disaster nurse encompass wider community health promotion, critical decision-making beyond the individual patient, resilience and ethical challenges. Whilst significant advancements have emerged in the last 30 years, further research, and representation of the profession at a strategic and political level could enhance the effectiveness of nurses’ roles in the 4 phases of disaster response: mitigation, preparation, response and recovery.

This essay focuses upon the transnational history of Professional Nursing. Women leaders across the Atlantic were behind major associative movements touched by feminist and libertarian ideas. Since the 1890s, this crisscrossing of actors and ideas defies any simple labeling of'national models'. This paper argues against the existence of a 'French model', as an alternative to the ideas and practices proposed by the 'Rockefeller nurses' in Rio de Janeiro during the 1920s. Instead, the roots of professionalism at that time could only be sown by the American nurses, who breathed from a truly transnational debate. At that time of intense ideological agitation about doctrines and best practices, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) pointed in the direction of increasing autonomy, associational life, and anti-patriarchal ideologies. This international process, often discontinuous and contradictory, stressed an ethics of caring and stimulated an ethos of professional autonomy among nurses on a global scale.

Objetivos: Conocer la evolución y visibilidad internacional de la producción científica de historia de la enfermería en España en la segunda mitad del siglo XX hasta la actualidad. Conocer cuáles son las Universidades españolas que más producción científica tienen sobre la historia de la enfermería española durante el periodo de estudio. Comparar la producción científica sobre historia de la enfermería en países anglosajones y España.<br />Método: Se realizó un estudio de corte cualitativo a través de una revisión integrativa. Se utilizó como recurso secundario: Sciverse Scopus. Base de datos que incluye otras bases. Se incluyeron aquellos documentos que versaran sobre historia de la enfermería.<br />Resultados: La producción científica de historia de la enfermería en España no se muestra como uno de los campos de mayor interés para la investigación (10,80%). La Universidad de Alicante se muestra como la Universidad Española con más producción en historia de la enfermería. Existe una clara diferencia en la producción científica sobre historia de la enfermería entre países anglosajones y España.<br />Conclusiones: España es el decimo país en producción científica de historia de la enfermería de un total de ciento cuatro incluidos en la base de datos. La producción científica española sobre historia de la enfermería sigue siendo modesta, comparada con los países anglosajones Existen sesgo sobre el estudio de la historia de la enfermería en una base de datos internacionales como es Sciverse Scopus. La no inclusión de revistas como Hiades (de dedicación exclusiva al estudio de la historia de enfermería) o la indexación parcial de bases de datos como Index (incluida sólo desde el año 2007) puede ser la causa

Until early 1990s, there had been little research in United States on nursings involvement in Third Reich and Holocaust. German historian Hilde Steppe's work, for example, was first published in United States in 1992.' Recent studies have yielded stories of complicity and murder juxtaposed with stories of heroism, resistance, and courage.2 In order for nursing better understand its evolving identity in society, it is essential that nursing incorporate these complex and often disturbing findings into its collective memory, as a pan of its source of identity, [its] cultural DNA.3 It is not clear whether nursing has forgotten or simply never addressed relevancy of Third Reich for profession. We know that United States as a whole responded inadequately European Jews' needs for asylum; nursing profession must also ask itself whether it could have intervened on behalf of Jewish nurses in Europe and other victims of Holocaust or in response criminal behavior of nurses under Third Reich. As Deborah Lipstadt showed in her analysis of American press from 1933 1945, printed media of time of Third Reich were of historical process by virtue of their power shape reactions events.4 One can similarly turn media by and for nursing in United States better understand profession's reactions Third Reich and Holocaust. To address these issues, this paper explores extent, timing, and manner in which nurses reading American Journal of Nursing (AJN) from 1932 1950 could have learned about relevance for nursing of Third Reich and what would become known as Holocaust. AJN was chosen because of its broad readership, its status as a publication of American Nurses Association (and, initially, National League of Nursing Education), its status as longestrunning nursing journal in United States, and its broad coverage of international nursing during period. The Journal began publishing on 1 October 1900, with stated purpose of keeping members of nursing profession in United States educated and informed of nursing issues and procedures and that gospel of unselfish devotion care of sick might be spread, with propaganda for securing profession a status whereby its usefulness should be increased.5 It was the first journal in United States for and by nurses, portrayed by its editors in 1946 as being to public magazine [that] represents you and all other members of organization for which Journal is official organ.6 Mary M. Roberts was editor-in-chief from 1923 1949, all but last two years of period studied. At beginning of her tenure, subscriptions were at 20,000; by end, they had risen 100,000. Throughout this period, subscriptions were $3.00 a year. Roberts's background in military during World War I, her extensive travels abroad, and her energetic service with International Council of Nurses (ICN) undoubtedly influenced international emphasis and coverage of military nursing in Journal during these years. Nell V. Beeley, Roberts's successor, brought position her experience as correspondent for U.S. War Department in 1945 and her interests in international aspects of nursing.7 The AJN has been, furthermore, self-described as a record of nursing history.8 It not only has reflected profession and practice of nursing in United States, but has played a part in construction and maintenance of its collective memory. Collective Memory The approach nursing's collective memory used in this paper is based on die Durkheimian tradition of collective representation.9 Collective memory is shaped by contemporaneous media coverage and commentary and by subsequent historical texts and ans. Historical events enter and are maintained in collective memory through discursive reproduction and representation. …

RECENTLY we, the preliminary students of the school of nursing of the Elizabeth General Hospital and Dispensary held a Florence Nightingale Tea and presented an exhibit which was prepared in connection with our class study of the history of nursing. The tea was held for the purpose of raising a fund to be presented to the Florence Nightingale International Foundation in London which is a perpetual and living memorial to Florence Nightingale. Contributions to the memorial are freewill offerings from those who wish to further the educational foundation which provides postgraduate courses in nursing. This memorial was started by the International Council of Nurses with the aid of the Red Cross in the form of a trust; wherein graduate

This paper considers place as a category of analysis. As nursing as a practice discipline and the history of nursing as a field of scholarship both enter a more self-consciously global arena and scholars are moving beyond the nation and the nation-state as the primary context for historical inquiry. At the same time, the work of nursing is, has been, and always will be a very private and intimate act. This paper considers two challenges to those interested in exploring how the history of nursing might consider this juxtaposition of the global and the local. The first is conceptual and considers ways to more systematically mine national studies of the history of nursing. The second is structural and explores how we can build a body of scholarship and cadre of scholars that cut across conventional linguistic and cultural boundaries and create a vibrant community of discussion and dialogue.

Book Review A History of Nursing . The evolution of Nursing Systems from the Earliest Times to the Foundation of the First English and American Training Schools for Nurses. By M. Adelaide Nutting, R.N., Principal of Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses, etc., and Lavinia L. Dock, R.N., Secretary of the American Federation of Nurses and of the International Council

<p>This dissertation reassesses the impact of U.S. annexation of Arizona and New Mexico in 1848 by recovering the imposition of and resistance to the new national border and identities among Spanish-Mexican, mestiza, and Euro-American women from 1846 to 1941. I analyze the impact of U.S. annexation of Arizona and New Mexico on gender roles, ethnic identity, and cultural practices by focusing on the roles of the domestic space, food culture, and material culture in dividing and bringing together women across these ethnocultural groups. By exploring the political intent and consequences of quotidian choices, this dissertation demonstrates the centrality of women in the daily and domestic negotiations over national and cultural borders during the territorial period (1850-1912) and the era of early statehood (1912-1941). Using English and Spanish-language sources, this dissertation argues that Euro-American and Spanish-Mexican women continuously used their homes, housekeeping, cultural customs, and foodways to define their new statuses in the region and negotiate the new cultural, physical, and national boundaries. Euro-Americans used their own and others’ cultural practices to maintain their whiteness and to construct Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and American Indians as non-white and to define gender and class in the region. Simultaneously, Spanish-Mexican women negotiated the new physical, social, and cultural boundaries by asserting their cultural citizenship even though they were denied full citizenship.</p> <p>In the first three chapters, I study the U.S.-Mexico War and the territorial period (1846-1912) by analyzing the roles of material and food culture and the homespace in shaping each group’s constructions of whiteness, nationalism, and ethnic identity and in shaping the processes of cultural assimilation and resistance. I highlight how Euro-Americans used the newly established U.S.-Mexico border to “other” the people and practices they associated with Mexico or “savagery.” Additionally, I argue that Spanish-Mexican and Mexican American worked around gender and legal borders by engaging in trade, traveling across the international border, and inserting themselves in the political and legal activities of Euro-Americans to maintain their homespaces.</p> <p>In Chapters 4 and 5, I address how women across ethnocultural groups used cookbooks and historical memory to create their place in community, state, and national identities after Arizona and New Mexico were incorporated in 1912. Using literary and cultural studies approaches, I address the narrative spaces, such as cookbooks and pioneer histories, in which women across ethnocultural groups claimed a stake in the public memory and community identities. I argue that Euro-American women appropriated some Spanish cultural practices and celebrated the pioneer past while denying full citizenship to people of color. Simultaneously, I argue, Spanish-Mexican and American Indian women used cookbooks and/or oral histories to challenge narratives of their inferiority and to claim their cultural citizenship.</p> <p>This dissertation brings light to the persistent and continuous roles of women, the body, and the home in shaping daily politics in the region. By pushing at the edges of U.S.-Mexico borderlands history methodology to include gender studies methodology, this dissertation introduces the homespace and motherhood as gendered and raced contact zones that were sometimes used to enforce and at other times challenge U.S. territoriality. I argue that the domestic activities of women offer significant, new insight to the political narratives of settler-colonialism, gender roles, nationality, and race in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. This dissertation moves away from overtly political acts to the seemingly “mundane” activities of cooking, dressing, and housekeeping to broaden our understanding of the connections between political behavior and cultural practices. These gendered negotiations provide a critical history of the intimate ways U.S. colonial efforts in the American Southwest played out and shaped the current dynamics of borderlands communities.</p>

Decolonizing nursing ethics

Many natural history collections and museums in Europe were established in the late 18th and early 19th century. Their development is inseparably linked to colonial expansion and significant parts of their collections are of colonial origin. The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) preserves a large natural history collection comprising zoological, paleontological, mineralogical, geological, and botanical objects as well as an institutional archive and a library. Especially in the period from 1884 to 1919, when the German Reich had colonies in Africa, the Pacific and China, the Zoological Museum of today's MfN played a prominent role in imperial politics. By a decision of the Federal Council in 1889 (Bundesratsbeschluss) and an addendum to this resolution in 1891, the museum received all zoological objects from expeditions financed by the state as well as the materials collected by colonial officials (Anonymous 1890,Kaiser 2023). The disclosure and digital transformation of museum collections worldwide will significantly improve digital access for all stakeholders. Opening up the (digital) collections is also considered crucial for the role of museums in mobilising participation and societal change. However, the mere size of the MfN collection, estimated to comprise approximately 30 million objects, poses additional challenges. How can we identify the objects from colonial contexts among these millions and how do we tag them? A recent project, "Colonial Provences of Nature",*1 led by historians at MfN, designed a decision tree to identify collection objects from the colonial past in which relevant categories of information and critical metadata were determined to confirm a colonial acquisition context (Kaiser et al. 2023). In this talk we will present our approach and preliminary results towards automatisation of the decision-making process in the mammals collection at MfN. This subcollection offers a suitable case study for testing how machine learning algorithms and historical knowledge can be used to classify colonial items based on their geographical provenance and acquisition time. Several specimens were indeed acquired during German colonial rule in Africa, Asia and Oceania between the 1880s and the end of World War I. The metadata associated with these objects are available in the institutional collection management system and they can be extracted and cleaned to generate a dataset for training and testing decision trees (Alpaydin 2020). The research of suitable classifying algorithms has a dual scope. The first is to compare the algorithmic decision boundaries with the rule-based decision tree drawn by the MfN historians interested in identifying and tagging collection objects from colonial contexts. The second aim is to develop automated procedures for labelling objects in the museum collections as colonial/non-colonial and add this information to the standard taxonomic metadata raising awareness on the complex political history of the specimens available at MfN.

Now is the right time to re‐evaluate how we educate and regulate health care professionals

This article focuses on the experiences and perspectives of non-state actors challenging the colonial legacies of the Humboldt Forum, Germany’s leading cultural project over the past decades. Departing from an empirical qualitative study, it gives insights into how experiences of dissonance with mainstream discourses on colonialism lead individuals to reconceptualize historical truth, into the resources through which activists build accountability from below, and into the changes that have taken place within the Humboldt Forum over the past years. It shows how these cannot be separated from larger social changes in Germany regarding the colonial past: the renaming of streets, the repatriation of ancestral remains in public collections, the (ongoing) recognition and reparation of the Herero and Nama genocide by the German state, or rising public awareness on Germany’s colonial past. The empirical study also makes visible the deep biographical impact a reconceptualization of historical truth has on the life course of activists, strengthening their determination to combat long-lasting colonial harm.

Guest Editorial: What, may I ask is happening to nursing knowledge and professional practices? What is nursing thinking at this turn in human history?

Introduction: Beyond the Anglophone—Comparative South Asian Literatures