Midwifery roles and practices in Belgium and the Belgian Congo (1908-1960)

This project challenges the view that female care providers lost out to doctors when medical
supervision over reproductive care became the norm. Despite the expanding body of literature on the
history of childbirth and midwifery, historical understandings of the breadth and complexity of
midwifery practices remain limited. This project therefore aims to study the variety of midwifery roles
and practices in Belgium and the Belgian Congo (1908-1960) as well as the mutual influences
between both geographical areas. To this end, it will use a practice-oriented methodology and
prioritize source material that provides insights into midwifery practices and the perspective of
midwives. It will analyze published sources containing information about midwifery practices and
trainings, oral interviews reflecting midwives’ affective memories of their roles and those of other
people living in the same localities, and archival material of legal, missionary, and administrative
nature. In this way, the project will be able to shed light on the continuing importance of midwives in
reproductive care in the 20th century.