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Literature & Ideas Landmark

Florence Mahoney

born 1929

The first Gambian woman to earn a doctorate

Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the The Gambia Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.

Why they are here

In 1963 she took a PhD in African history at SOAS — the first Gambian woman to hold one — and spent the rest of her life writing her country's history down.

Florence Mahoney is a Gambian historian and author of Aku descent, born on 6 January 1929.

In 1963 she became the first Gambian woman awarded a doctorate, taking her PhD in African history at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and among the first African women to hold such a degree in the subject. She is regarded as the Gambia's foremost historian.
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