The response of the Torres Strait Islands (Australia) native population to western school curricula and to European contact before World War II are examined. It is concluded that attitudes toward education were primarily instrumental and reflected an interest in both knowledge and equality of status. (Author/MSE)

Challenges conventional views of colonial schooling and its outcomes through analysis of education on the Torres Straits Islands, 1873-1985. Argues that, despite racist educational policies, the schooling introduced social change to the community and that the schooling that Islanders actually got was influenced by local context and customs,…

This book overviews the colonial history of the Torres Strait Islanders and the role of the London Missionary Society (LMS) and the government of Queensland (Australia) in their education from 1873 until 1941. Section 1 examines the educational implications of European contact and argues that although schooling was an important feature of LMS and…