Women Making History: Methodist Women’s Fellowship Ibadan District as a Case Study 1968-2024

Abstract

Inquiring into history requires the perspectives of both men and women but the reality has shown that traditional history as we know it places women more on the contributory perspective and not as actual makers of the history themselves. This accounts for the preponderance of men in historical narratives and documentations. Despite the many challenges faced in the use of oral history as a methodology in accessing historical narratives of marginalized groups, in which women fall into, it has been a viable tool in restoring the missing links in getting a complete history. Oral history as both a theory and methodology is used here to restore the overlooked aspect of the history of Women’s Fellowship in Methodist church, Ibadan district as it was called then. History has it that aside from the efforts of Mrs C.E. Williams, there were other women who aided the establishment of the fellowship in Ibadan diocese. Existing written documents on these women are scanty. This study intends to make use of phenomenological method using interview as a tool of inquiry.