Circular Progress: Health and Healthcare within Albertan Indian Residential Schools, 1920 - 1950

This study provides a systematic analysis of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the pupils in Indian Residential Schools from 1920 – 1950. It focusses on a single province – Alberta – and utilizes an inter-disciplinary approach to understand how the interaction between the biological and the psychosocial conditions of the schools contributed to both immediate and chronic health problems for Aboriginal students. Through an examination of nutrition, sanitation, disease, healthcare interventions, and mental health in the schools, it is seen that any “progress” the Department made in regards to the health of students was circular. Department officials used the inherent flaws in the system of school governance – which gave a few men ultimate power over the living conditions of thousands of children – to circumvent the responsibility they held towards the health of students. The ultimate result was a malnourished and vulnerable student population suffering from endemic disease and psychological trauma.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Larsson, Paula

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stahnisch, Frank

• History--Canadian
• History of Science

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/25330

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2621