This article provides an introduction to the two articles in this Special Theme on education, labour, and discipline in colonial Asia. It offers a brief historiography of education to indigenous children in the colonial context provided by non-state as well as state actors. We argue that while many studies have separated the motives behind, and actions of, these different actors in relation to education and “civilizing missions”, it is worthwhile connecting these histories. Moreover, apart from looking at motives, the articles in this Special Theme aim to show the value of studying educationalpracticesin a colonial context. Finally, this introduction identifies several opportunities for future – comparative as well as transnational – studies into the topic of education, child labour, and discipline.

中文翻译：

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教育、劳动和纪律：对亚洲殖民地帝国做法和土著儿童的新视角

本文介绍了本专题中关于亚洲殖民地教育、劳动和纪律的两篇文章。它简要介绍了由非国家和国家行为者提供的殖民背景下土著儿童的教育史。我们认为，虽然许多研究已经将这些与教育和“文明使命”相关的不同行为者背后的动机和行为分开，但将这些历史联系起来是值得的。此外，本专题的文章除了看动机外，还旨在展示学习教育的价值。实践在殖民背景下。最后，本介绍确定了未来对教育、童工和纪律主题的比较和跨国研究的几个机会。