Interned as ‘enemy aliens’ in Australia, these WWII refugees built their own universities
A longer history of refugee-run schools and universities reveals the importance of scholarly camaraderie.
During the aftermath of World War II, refugees who were interned as "enemy aliens" in Australia's internment camps used the opportunity to establish their own educational institutions. This was especially significant as most refugees and asylum seekers were denied access to reliable ongoing education during transit, immigration detention, and life in camps.
Some refugees took matters into their own hands and set up schools for themselves, as evidenced by the Afghan Hazara refugees who established a school in Cisarua, West Java in 2014, which has since expanded into a network of schools.
One notable example of refugee-led education in Australia's internment camps was the establishment of universities on board the HMT Dunera ship and in the camps of Tatura, Victoria, and Hay, New South Wales. The Dunera boys, a group of over 2,500 internees, were a diverse group of accomplished scholars, professors, musicians, linguists, artists, and tradespeople. Many of them had interrupted their education due to the war and were eager to continue learning while in internment.
Among the Dunera boys was Leonhard Adam, a distinguished lawyer and judge from Berlin. Due to his Jewish ancestry, he was disbarred from legal practice in 1933 under Nazi racial laws and fled to England. After being classified as an "enemy alien" upon the outbreak of World War II, Adam was interned on the Isle of Man before being transported to Australia on the Dunera.
Upon arrival at Tatura camp, Adam founded the Collegium Taturense, which taught various subjects including jurisprudence, commercial law, Chinese, and ethnology. Adam also brought with him knowledge of First Nations laws and practices, acquired during his fieldwork among prisoners of war during WWI.
After the Dunera boys had been released from internment in 1942, Leonhard Adam went on to become a researcher at the University of Melbourne. He amassed a significant collection of First Nations art and artefacts, further emphasizing the importance of education in refugee communities and their ability to create and sustain their own institutions despite the challenges they faced.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
