Full Description
The Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) had a devastating impact on China's civilian population. Braving bandits, disease, and dangerous roads, the China Convoy - a Quaker-sponsored humanitarian unit - delivered medical supplies and provided famine relief in the unoccupied territory of "Free China" and later to both sides in the ensuing civil war. China Gadabouts examines the contested roles played by Western and Chinese nurses in the Convoy's humanitarian efforts from 1941 to 1951. In so doing, it re-examines the quandaries of Quakers' purportedly apolitical global engagement that remain salient for contemporary humanitarians. Susan Armstrong-Reid explores how this work gave meaning to the women's lives and how they attempted to carve out personal and professional space despite a chaotic, unfamiliar, and occasionally hostile environment. China Gadabouts illuminates the ethical dilemmas, professional challenges, and opportunities presented by humanitarian nursing within a Western-based relief organization, while acknowledging its contentious imperial role. In doing so, it spotlights an understudied area of global nursing - its role within INGOs, now more active than ever in global health care.
Contents
Introduction
Part 1: From Regional War to Global War, 1941-45
Introduction to Part 1
1 Trial by Fire: Early Field Operations, 1941-42
2 A Marriage of Convenience: Courting the Chinese Nurses, 1942-43
3 The Salween Campaign: Humanitarian Diplomacy, 1944-45
4 "China Needs Good Men, and Still Better Women," British Nurses, 1943-44
5 Baoshan: Professionalism, Pacifism, and Proposals, 1944-45
Part 2: Navigating New Humanitarian Frontiers, 1945-51
Introduction to Part 2
6 The Road to Honan: Plagues, Cholera, and Devilish Devolutions, 1944-45
7 Henan: Hope and Despair, 1945-47
8 "Early Team": Guerrilla Warfare Nursing, 1946-47
Part 3: Unwelcome Visitors: Negotiating Access with The Communists, 1947-51
Introduction to Part 3
9 Nursing beyond the Trenches, 1947-50
Conclusion: Nurse Warriors without Weapons
Notes; Bibliography; Index
