The Continent on Her Shoulders: Motherhood and Observations of Child-Rearing Practices in Late Colonial East Africa, 1940s–80s

This paper explores psychological and anthropological observations of motherhood in Kenya and Uganda during the late colonial and post-colonial periods. Psychological theories of child development placed significant emphasis on the mother’s role, positioning her as responsible for shaping children’s physical, intellectual and moral growth. As such, the mother-infant bond became vital to both the psychological and biological survival and success of the child. Beyond these dimensions, scientists and politicians alike viewed motherhood as the symbolic foundation of society, nurturing both individual children and the nation itself. These expectations reflected broader societal pressures in which mothers were not only responsible for the immediate care of their children but also for cultivating future citizens aligned with national development goals. In this context, motherhood played a central role in the (re)construction of what it meant to be “African” during the formal decolonisation process.

By examining scientific observations of child-rearing practices, this study relates how motherhood was subject to an evaluative gaze, shaped by the intersections of scientific, social and indigenous knowledge systems. The professionalisation and scientification of motherhood, particularly through the introduction of “mothercraft,” marked a significant shift in the way child-rearing was approached. Mothercraft policies enabled medical professionals, social scientists and government organisations to promote and enforce standardised child-rearing methods that displaced existing caregiving practices, asserting authority over the upbringing of Kenyan and Ugandan children. Through an exploration of psychological and anthropological studies on the mother-infant bond, this article examines the role of mothers as both the literal and symbolic bearers of the nation’s future. It reveals how, within the constraints of these frameworks, women continued to shape their identities around motherhood, finding avenues to challenge and redefine the controlling images of their roles. Thus, motherhood became also a space for self-definition and resistance.