Mabel Atkinson
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Mabel Palmer (1876–1958) also known as Mabel Atkinson in her first career, was a British-born, suffragist, journalist and lecturer. After her marriage, she began a second career as a South African educator and academic, using her married name. One of her most noted accomplishments came after her retirement from teaching, when she spearheaded a movement to provide university education for non-white students. After providing free courses in her home for a decade, she became director of the segregated courses offered by the
Natal University College The University of Natal was a university in the former South African province Natal which later became KwaZulu-Natal. The University of Natal no longer exists as a distinct legal entity, as it was incorporated into the University of KwaZulu-Na ...
, serving from 1945 to 1955. After her second retirement, Palmer continued publishing until her death in 1958.


Early life

Mabel Atkinson was born on 22 May 1876 in
Broomley Broomley is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated between Hexham and Newcastle upon Tyne, to the south of the River Tyne. "Broomley School" is located not in Broomley, but in the neighbouring village of Stocksfield. Until 11 Janu ...
, Northumberland, England to Jane (née Elliott) and John Boland Atkinson. Her father was an inspector of mines, and her mother an activist
suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...
, who were progressive, believing in both women's education and employment. In 1894, Atkinson enrolled at
Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...
soon after it was opened to women, and in 1897, joined the
Fabian Society The Fabian Society is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. The Fa ...
, becoming president of the university section of the group. She obtained a Master of Arts degree in 1900 with honours, earning the medal for most distinguished graduate of arts. Atkinson continued her education, conducting research at Glasgow University and the
London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...
, before going abroad to study at
Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...
in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
for a year. Her research, the first survey of ''Local Government in Scotland'' was published in 1904 and was an endorsement of reform.


Career


In Britain

From 1904 to 1908 Atkinson lectured at Armstrong College, in
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...
on the classics and philosophy. While still in Durham, she proposed opening summer schools sponsored by the Fabian Society to help spread their ideals through the countryside. The first of these, she organised in 1907 and the following year, she published in the ''
International Journal of Ethics ''Ethics: An International Journal of Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1890 as the ''International Journal of Ethics'', renamed in 1938, and published since 1923 by the University of C ...
'', ''The Struggle for Existence in Relations to Morals and Religion''. Relocating to London in 1908, she became a tutor for the
Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...
(WEA) and lectured on economics from 1908 to 1915 at
King's College for Women Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) was a college in London. It had its origins in the Ladies' (later Women's) Department of King's College, London, England, opened in 1885 but later accepted men as well. The first King's 'extension' lectures for l ...
. She published articles in the '' Daily News'' on feminist and political themes including topics on celibacy as a prerequisite for women's employment,
suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...
, the
gold standard A gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is based on a fixed quantity of gold. The gold standard was the basis for the international monetary system from the 1870s to the early 1920s, and from the la ...
and trade unions and wrote an economics textbook with Margaret McKillop in 1911. Serving as vice-chair of the Federated Council of Women's Suffrage Societies, Atkinson spoke often on the topic of women's voting and took part in demonstrations. In 1910, her position on suffrage thwarted an attempt to stand for the London County Council. In 1914, she published for the Fabian Society, a tract ''The Economic Foundations of the Women's Movement'', evaluating the benefits of socialism for women's economic emancipation. She argued that barring married women from working forced them to be celibate and childless. At the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
Atkinson began lecturing on peace and supported creation of an organisation such as the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
to act as an authority over nationalist concerns. However, her anti-war stance did not stop her new husband, Andrew Robert Barratt Palmer, an Australian journalist whom she had married on 2 July 1914 in
Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...
, from joining the war effort. Atkinson continued her work on women and social concerns publishing in 1916, ''Life-Saving in War-Time'', which evaluated infant mortality and its relationship to poverty. The study, looking at the economic realities of working-class mothers, was completed for the Infant Welfare Propaganda Committee.


In South Africa

In 1920, following her husband to Sydney, she began using the name Palmer. In the early part of 1921, the couple moved to
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, South Africa. where Palmer began teaching at the Natal Technical College. She was tasked with teaching adult education courses through the WEA, which was affiliated with the college. Palmer and her husband separated and he returned to Australia. She also taught at the Technical High School and at the
normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
, on subjects such as civics and history, and taught courses at trade unions and the
YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
on themes dealing with banking, currency, industry and the cost of living. In addition to her teaching, Palmer continued her involvement in Progressive causes, joining the League of Nations Study Circle, the National Council of Women of South Africa, the
South African Association for the Advancement of Science The Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science (S2A3 or S2A3) is a learned society, originally known as the South African Association for the Advancement of Science (SAAAS). Established in 1902, its principal aim is to increase th ...
, the
South African Institute of Race Relations Established in 1929,http://www.sairr.org.za/profile/ the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) is a research and policy organisation in South Africa. The institute is "one of the oldest liberal institutions in the country". The in ...
, various trade unions and other organisations, which allowed her to continue writing articles on socio-economic topics. In 1929, she joined the
University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...
's senate. Palmer was involved in the development of a university in Durban and after a decade, the efforts were successful. In 1931 she began working lecturer in economic history at the new Natal University College (NUC), later known as the University of KwaZulu–Natal. After retiring from NUC in 1936 Palmer began her noted work to found university education for Non-Whites in
Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...
. Initially holding classes in her home for part-time students who were working as teachers, the courses were offered free of charge because many of the students had to travel immense distances to attend. Later, she convinced university staff to hold lectures at venues like Sastri College, the first high school and normal school for Indian students living in Durban. In 1945, NUC set up a segregated section of courses for non-European student's education with Palmer as director. She supported the segregation of non-white students as a step within the colonial framework to expand education to non-elites, as during her own education, segregating women from men allowed women university education for the first time. During her tenure, the enrolment increased from 19 to 350 and while many of her students were grateful for the education, her lack of understanding of African and Indian cultures created some frictions. In 1955, Palmer retired for the second time, but continued publishing. She was one of the main collaborators of the 1956 Council of the South African Institute of Race Relations publication, ''The Indian as a South African''. In 1957, she published ''The History of the Indians in Natal'', one of the first works on Southeast Asians in the region.


Death and legacy

Palmer died on 16 November 1958 at her home in Durban and was buried in the Stellawood Cemetery. Her papers are located in the Killie Campbell Collections in the library of the University of KwaZulu–Natal. A women's residence hall on the UKZN campus, designed by Hans Hallen is named after her, as is one of the houses at
Westville Girls' High School Westville Girls' High School,(or WGHS), is a state school, private school for girls in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Classes are split based on the students’ academic ability, in order to help all students ...
. and Grosvenor Girls' High School


Works

* edited by Brougham Villiers * * * *


See also

*
Edith McKay Gladys Edith McKay (20 February 1891 – 30 January 1963) was an Australian writer.Author: Edith McKay
...
*
Agnes Bennett Agnes Elizabeth Lloyd Bennett (24 June 1872 – 27 November 1960) was a New Zealand doctor, a Chief Medical Officer of a World War I medical unit and later was awarded an O.B.E. for her services in improving the health of women and children. ...
*
Jessie Ann Scott Jessie Ann Scott (9 August 1883 – 15 August 1959) was a New Zealand medical doctor, medical officer and prisoner of war. Early life Jessie Scott was born in Brookside, North Canterbury, New Zealand, in 1883 and attended Christchurch Gir ...
*
Olive Kelso King Olive May Kelso King (30 June 1885 – 1 November 1958) was an adventurer and mountain climber. During World War I she drove ambulances for the Scottish Women's Hospitals and later the Serbian Army. In the final stages of the war she raised ...
*
Mary de Garis Mary Clementina De Garis (16 December 1881 – 18 November 1963) was an Australian medical doctor. During World War I she worked at the Ostrovo Unit in Serbia for the Scottish Women's Hospitals and after the war worked at Geelong Hospital i ...
*
Elsie Inglis Eliza Maud "Elsie" Inglis (16 August 1864 – 26 November 1917) was a Scottish doctor, surgeon, teacher, Women's suffrage, suffragist, and founder of the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service, Scottish Women's Hospitals. She was the ...


References


Citations


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Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Palmer, Mabel 1876 births 1958 deaths Academics of Durham University Alumni of the University of Glasgow Members of the Fabian Society People from Stocksfield South African educational theorists South African educators University of Natal faculty