Lessons in Legitimacy
Colonialism, Capitalism, and the Rise of State Schooling in British Columbia
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Between 1849 and 1930, government-assisted schooling in what is now British Columbia supported the development of a capitalist settler society. Lessons in Legitimacy examines state schooling for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples - public schools, Indian Day Schools, and Indian Residential Schools - in one analytical frame.
Schooling for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children and youth functioned in distinct yet complementary ways, teaching students lessons in legitimacy that normalized settler capitalism and the making of British Columbia. Church and state officials administered different school systems that trained Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to take up and accept unequal roles in the emerging social order.
Combining insights from history, Indigenous studies, historical materialism, and political economy, this important study reveals how an understanding of the historical uses of schooling can inform contemporary discussions about the role of education in reconciliation and improving Indigenous-settler relations.
About this Author
Sean Carleton is an assistant professor of history and Indigenous studies at the University of Manitoba. He has published in Historical Studies in Education, History of Education, Settler Colonial Studies, and BC Studies.
Reviews
"Carleton's multilayered approach offers a crucial and insightful perspective on the history of schooling - one that is sensitive to the spaces between state power and the paradoxical nature of the colonial project in Canada."
"Lessons in Legitimacy is an impressively researched and cogently argued piece of scholarship."
"His contribution is imperative to both understanding education in British Columbia and improving schooling for Indigenous and all students."
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