Nursing History and the Politics of Welfare

Book excerpt: A quiet revolution has been sweeping through the writing of nursing history over the last decade, transforming it into a robust and reflective area of scholarship. Nursing History and the Politics of Welfare highlights the significant contribution that researching nursing history has to make in settling a new intellectual and political agenda for nurses. The seventeen international contributors to this book look at nursing from different perspectives, as it has developed under different regimes and ideologies and at different times, in America, Australia, Britain, Germany, India, The Phillipines and South Africa. They highlight the role of politics and gender in understanding nursing history and propose strategies for achieving greater recognition for nursing, and bringing it into line with other related health care professions.