Servants and Gentlewomen to the Golden Land: The Emigration of Single Women from Britain to Southern Africa, 1820-1939

Hardback

Main Details

Title Servants and Gentlewomen to the Golden Land: The Emigration of Single Women from Britain to Southern Africa, 1820-1939
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Cecillie Swaisland
SeriesCross-Cultural Perspectives on Women
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:186
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 138
ISBN/Barcode 9780854967452
ClassificationsDewey:304.80941
Audience
General
Illustrations bibliography, index, appendices

Publishing Details

Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint Berg Publishers
Publication Date 11 May 1993
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Too often, the emigration of women has been treated as an adjunct to that of men, especially in the case of families travelling together. In significant ways, however, the emigration of single women from Britain in the 19th and early 20th centuries was distinct from the general movement. It was rooted, in the main, in those features of British society peculiar to their sex, and also in conditions in the colonies that made the venture possible for them. What factors would cause a woman to leave all she has known for the uncertainty and danger of a 'wild' colony half a world away? How did these women adapt to the unique circumstances of life in southern Africa? These are some of the questions addressed by the author, herself the daughter of an emigrant couple, in this fascinating book. The author not only explores the larger issues of single women's emigration to southern Africa, but also presents the compelling experiences of individual women, as seen through documents by them and people who knew them.

Author Biography

Mrs Cecillie Swaisland Centre for Cross-Cultural Research on Women,University of Oxford and formerly University Fellow, Institute for Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University, formerly

Reviews

'...of considerable interest in exploring one of the issues in imperial migration...a highly readable account of the subject.' Ecumene 'One of the book's strengths is that it provides a detailed outline of the myriad number of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century emigration societies and philanthropic organizations which catered to the needs of the single woman.' Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History " Swaisland has undertaken a mammoth task in Servants and gentlewomen to the golden land. [...] Swaisland's book makes a significant contribution to women's history using personal correspondence in conjunction with other primary and secondary sources." Anthropological Forum