Sheila Carr-Stewart, ed., Knowing the Past, Facing the Future: Indigenous Education in Canada

Heather E. McGregor
2021 Historical Studies in Education  
reformatories that housed girls and women for their perceived immoral behaviour in Canada that were not part of the laundry system. For historians, this study is a reminder that first-person, oral stories matter. Oral historians and historians of childhood and youth would be particularly interested in understanding Croll's focus on the context that placed girls and women in the laundries. For historians of education, this study reflects the value and importance of formal education. The sisters'
more » ... denial of formal education contributes to larger discussions about the value of formal education as an identity in childhood, not to mention the long-term effects in denying education. Shaped by Silence: Stories from the Inmates of the Good Shepherd Laundries and Reformatories tells women's first-hand experiences and the long-lasting effects of these harmful institutions. The lack of formal education afforded to young women continued to prevent them acquiring the skills needed upon release. Croll's mission to share these stories serves as an act of remembrance and validation for the experiences of women, especially as they continue to live with the legacies as apologies downplay the abuses that occurred within the walls of the institution.
doi:10.32316/hse-rhe.v33i2.4955 fatcat:mjtcgproundevcf4u233hid6da