Education and assimilation in the Lakehead, 1900-1939
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Through a case study of the Lakehead, this thesis explores whether the provincial school system, with its Anglo-conformity approach to assimilation, was as important or exclusive an influence as Ontario education officials hoped and claimed in assimilating "foreigners" in the Lakehead between 1900 and 1939. The urban and rural areas of Port Arthur and Fort William, which experienced rapid population growth and changes in ethnic composition mainly due to heavy immigration of entrance status immigrants between 1900 and 1930, provided an excellent setting for the study of education and assimilation. The Lakehead's isolation and distance from central Ontario and limited financial and human resources of school boards, coupled with the rapid growth of the Lakehead's population with its particular socioeconomic and ethnic composition, shaped the development of provincial school education locally. These factors appeared to modify the original objectives stated by education officials to create a "homogeneous citizenship" through programs to achieve Anglo-conformity. The provincial school system was neither the only nor necessarily the most important influence on the assimilation process in the Lakehead between 1900 and 1939. Other agencies, which included religious, social, and political organizations sponsored by Canadians and immigrants of charter groups as well as entrance status immigrants, also played an important role in educating immigrants and shaping the assimilation process. Moreover, the role of these agencies changed throughout the period from 1900 to 1939.
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This work is available on request. You can request a copy at https://library.carleton.ca/forms/request-pdf-copy-thesis
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Copyright © 1995 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
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- 1995
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