Producing pioneers : the American Junior College for Women and the Beirut College for Women, 1924-1973.

Abstract

A significant number of female pioneers in Lebanon were graduates of the American Junior College for Women, later known as the Beirut College for Women. This dissertation traces the creation and development of the College from its establishment in 1924 until its transition to a coeducational institution in 1973. It explores the reasons for its creation and disappearance, the evolution of its curricula, and the voices of students and alumnae. It highlights its pioneering role in two distinct fields of distaff education: home economics and social service. How did the College impact its students and what did they do with their education? This dissertation argues that the College was simultaneously progressive and traditional. It pushed women into new spheres while limiting them to their traditional roles. Specifically, it advanced them by educating them in highly differentiated fields, including those considered to be “male” domains, and regularly producing influential alumnae who achieved milestones for women. On the other hand, the College placed constraints on women by modernizing them through the frameworks of domesticity and social service. This study contributes to research on Global South feminism, the impact of women’s education across the world in the twentieth century, missionary history, cross-cultural encounters, institutional histories, female spaces, American education in the Middle East, and education and identity formation in postcolonial states.