Man and the land in Queensland education 1874-1905 : agricultural education as a solution to man-physiography dissonance in colonial Queensland

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONIn his classic study, The Geography behind History, W. Gordon East tests the hypothesis that ‘Human thought and action have their springs, not in a spatial vacuum, but in some definite geographical milieu, which defines in varying degrees the character and orbit of human effort’. Using a variety of historical trends and incidents as evidence, he concludes that the physical elements of geography, which are here termed 'physiography', have exerted a significant influence on human behaviour throughout history. The basic purpose of this thesis is to provide a more detailed test of East's hypothesis, by undertaking a case study of the influence of physiography on the distribution, structure and content of agricultural education in Queensland between 1874 and 1905.In this introduction, definitions of some key terms are first provided. The historical, and often very heated, controversy concerning the concept of physiographic determinism is then examined. This debate forms a necessary theoretical background, though it is emphasized that the thesis is concerned with the influence of physiography on human behaviour, not with the much more vexed question of ultimate control or determination. In the next section, a theoretical background for the study is proposed. Finally, a brief outline of the argument of the thesis through the various chapters is undertaken.DefinitionsThe delimiting years 1874 and 1905 were chosen because they represent turning points in the history of agricultural education. The early 1870s saw a major debate on the aims of education in Queensland in which the need for a practical education oriented towards the specific geographic conditions of Queensland was a significant eLement. The Pechey motion calling for the establishment of an agricultural college, introduced into the Assembly in 1874, reflected this concern . Though the Pechey motion was not successfuland the State Education Act of 1875 gave little emphasis to practical subjects like agriculture, the debate nevertheless continued strongly over the next decades. Though accepted in the area of post-primary education in earlier years, the concept of a practical education relevant to Queensland needs only received definite acceptance in the primary syllabus in 1905.The concepts of 'physiography', 'resource', 'resistance', and 'manphysiography dissonance' are used frequently throughout the thesis.'Physiography' is used in preference to the longer term 'physical geography', and is defined to embrace the attributes of area and distance, climate, and, to a lesser extent, surface morphology (termed 'relief ) and soiIs?Agricultural education is defined to include all Levels from the elementary to the tertiary, including the education of practising farmers by extension activities. Consequently, relevant activities of both the Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Agriculture (after 1887), in addition to the less formal activities of private organisations and the agricultural Press, are considered.