Cambridge Scholars Publishing In History and Education, from the Munster Blackwater to the Indian Ocean: An Autoethnography

In this auto-ethnography, which is a contribution to a form of writing only recently adopted by historians, the author provides an exposition of how, since 1957, he has been located in education currents flowing through various exotic lands. He addresses how, in participating in that flow, he has been influenced by historical events in which he participated, along with broader societal events reaching back over 150 years. As such, this book is illuminative on education developments in education in Ireland and internationally over the last 70 years in relation to a longer time-scale. It commences with an account of the author’s early life and schooling in County Waterford, Ireland, addresses his undergraduate years in London and Limerick, and reflects on 13 years of school teaching and studying for postgraduate degrees at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. An account of the author’s life and academic work in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Malaysia then follows. About the Author Tom O’Donoghue is Full Professor of Education at the University of Western Australia. He is an elected Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences, Australia, and the Royal Historical Society, UK. He is also a past-president of the Australian and New Zealand History of Education Society, and specialises in the social history of education, particularly in relation to Ireland, Australia and Papua New Guinea. He serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Education of University College Dublin.