Before the Wind Changed

This is an authentic record of the work of a British woman educationalist in the Sudan in the 1940s, and forms a source for the development of girls' education in an African country before the wind of change blew through the continent. As Controller of Girls' Education, Dr Beasley undertook many gruelling tours of inspection, venturing to the remotest parts of the country, and her account provides the modern reader with a wealth of evidence not easily found elsewhere. Her narrative also gives a more general picture of the Sudan at that time, with observations on a country and people fondly recalled and a way of life fast disappearing. The editor, Janet Starkey, has included many excerpts from Dr Beasley's original diaries that illuminate the text, and her annotation and appendices provide background information. This is the first volume in a new series whose aim is the publication of materials from private archive collections relating to oriental and African countries, in particular with British contributions to the history of those regions. This work should be of interest to scholars and students of African history, especially the development of education and the late colonial period; educationalists; scholars of women's studies; social anthropologists; and anyone interested in the Sudan.