Over the last century, identity as an avenue of inquiry has become both an academic growth industry and a problematic category of historical analysis. This volume shows how the study of medicine can provide new insights into colonial identity, and the possibility of accommodating multiple perspectives on identity within a single narrative. Contributors to this volume explore the perceived self-identity of colonizers, the adoption of western and traditional medicine as complementary aspects of a new, modern and nationalist identity, the creation of a modern identity for women in the colonies, and the expression of a healer's identity by physicians of traditional medicine.