Chapel, cloister and classroom : the intersection of class, gender and religion in Catholic convent schooling in South Australia 1880-2000.

The thesis, submitted for examination for a Doctorate of Philosophy by publication, examines the intersection of class, religion and gender in the history of Catholic girls' convent schooling in South Australia from 1880-2000. The thesis canvasses nine refereed studies in local, national and international publications. The research has been directed at a wide range of audiences, primarily academic colleagues and tertiary students, but also the broader educational community, including teachers, parents and secondary school students. As the published papers are presented, I have charted my intellectual journey since 1997 in the history of education. The studies highlight and investigate silences in the history of education in Australia, particularly the history of Catholic girls' convent schooling, the paradoxical roles of their female religious teachers, student voices from and about their classroom experience, and the history of religious and educational change in these schools up to and including the second half of the twentieth century. In addition to these areas of original scholarship, the thesis is valuable as a history in itself. It describes the expanding literature, diverse methodological tools, and interdisciplinary approaches used by historians over the last decade. Taken together, the research also highlights the emerging influence over the last forty years of different theoretical frameworks in historical analysis. As such, the thesis has provided several valuable contributions to scholarship in the history of education. The conclusion reflects on the tensions involved in this unique retrospective form of analysis of past research. It also posits directions for future research highlighting further unexplored topics and themes worthy of examination. Thus the excitement and frustration in the historian's craft is shown in its lure to continually tempt and tantalise.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Graduate School of Education, 200