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.
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.
HistoryEdit
Lady missionaries in the court of the Zenana Mission House, Peshawar (above); The station class at Sa-yong, Fuhkien, China (below)
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.
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]
ReferencesEdit
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Women Under Polygamy/Chapter 12
^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. ISBN978-0-8028-3875-9.
^"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 linksEdit
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.
October 19, 2023
zenana, missions, zenana, missions, were, outreach, programmes, established, british, india, with, converting, women, christianity, from, 19th, century, they, sent, female, missionaries, into, homes, indian, women, including, private, areas, houses, known, zen. 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 High caste women Harkua India c 1915 1 Contents 1 Background 2 History 3 Bible women in India 4 References 5 External linksBackground EditWomen 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 nbsp Lady missionaries in the court of the Zenana Mission House Peshawar above The station class at Sa yong Fuhkien China below 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 EditEducated 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 nbsp Wikisource has original text related to this article Women Under Polygamy Chapter 12 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 amp 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 amp 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 amp Co pp 36 38 External links EditEmma Raymond Pitman Indian Zenana Missions London John Snow 1890 Helen Catharine Mackenzie Life in the Mission the Camp and the Zenana or Six Years in India London Richard Bentley 1853 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Zenana missions amp oldid 1168311136, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
