Exploring the Experiences of Nineteenth-Century Colonial Children in Australia with the Application of Interpretive Reproduction Theory – An Alternative Approach in the Study of Childhood in the Past

Abstract

This paper explores the lives of nineteenth-century colonial children in Australia by examining the alteration, creation and use of artefacts associated with play and learning and by applying Corsaro's sociological theory of interpretive reproduction. With less of a focus on adult attempts of socialisation, spatial context and distribution of the artefacts, the analysis focuses on the children as individual agents creating and transmitting their own culture through their experiences among their peer groups and the associated interactions and use of material culture. I argue that using a contextual interpretive approach underpinned by interpretive reproduction theory allows us a glimpse into the mind of the child and provides a means to tease out their experiences including agency, their values, concerns and motivations.