- Sociology of Migration, Migration Studies, Discourse Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, Nationalism, Multiculturalism, and 12 moreIdentity, Citizenship, Intercultural dialogue, Islam, Media, Communication, Sociology, Theology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Immigration Status & Nationality, and National Identityedit
Discussions about how to talk about race are ubiquitous among academics seeking to balance the recognition that race is a social construct with the very real effects of racial stratification. Naming race is seen as potentially reifying... more
Discussions about how to talk about race are ubiquitous among academics seeking to balance the recognition that race is a social construct with the very real effects of racial stratification. Naming race is seen as potentially reifying it, but ignoring it invisiblises its effects. Pathologising, celebratory and critical approaches to talking about mixed race can all be found in how mixedness is talked about in Australia (among the public and in scholarly work), and there are differences depending on whether mixedness is Indigenous or migrant. Using my experience of being challenged for speaking too positively about the experience of being mixed in Australia, and a Facebook discussion about Census categories, this paper explores the ways in which mixed race is talked about (and not talked about) in Australia. It argues that we can’t move ‘beyond race’ before actually acknowledging it, something Australia has been very reticent to do, due to its race-based history of colonisation, imm...
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Metaphors are powerful mechanisms by which to rally exclusionary nationalist sentiment without necessarily appearing racist. However, sometimes those metaphors are challenged, inverting exclusionary functions. In this paper, we track how... more
Metaphors are powerful mechanisms by which to rally exclusionary nationalist sentiment without necessarily appearing racist. However, sometimes those metaphors are challenged, inverting exclusionary functions. In this paper, we track how metaphors in the Australian press over the last 165 years which have generally constructed migration as a threat to the integrity of the nation, are repurposed to counter the claims embedded within them. For example, while invasion, swamping and flooding are generally recruited to negative ends, the same tropes are used to argue that fears of invasion are unjustified, that numbers of migrants are too small to swamp the nation and that the so-called floods of foreigners are overstated. However, this does not necessarily result in a decrease in metaphor use, nor challenge the fundamental implications of the metaphors. We explore how the repurposing occurs, and why it may not be an effective tool for anti-racist action.
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Migration from the African continent to Australia has increased in volume and diversity in the last three decades, with the most recent census identifying 2.6 % of the total Australian population as either born in, or having at least one... more
Migration from the African continent to Australia has increased in volume and diversity in the last three decades, with the most recent census identifying 2.6 % of the total Australian population as either born in, or having at least one parent born in, Africa. In examining demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and interrogating political, economic, social and cultural transnational practices, using an interdisciplinary approach that combines demography, political science and sociology, this paper seeks to identify in what ways and for what purposes this population might be considered a pan-African diaspora. We argue that there is some evidence of (i) pan-African consciousness underpinning the collective identity of African-Australian community organisations; (ii) governments, NGO s, communities and individuals engaging in activities that contribute meaningfully to Australian society, countries of origin and identity formation; (iii) significant diversity and important clea...
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Research Interests: Psychology and Friendship
Australia is a country of migrants, with a very small proportion of the population being Indigenous. Historically it has been diversity-averse, with policies designed to exclude non-white migrants and to assimilate the Indigenous peoples... more
Australia is a country of migrants, with a very small proportion of the population being Indigenous. Historically it has been diversity-averse, with policies designed to exclude non-white migrants and to assimilate the Indigenous peoples into a ‘White Australia’. But since the early 1970s, policy settings have oriented towards multiculturalism and a growing Indigenous rights movement, both (to some extent) recognizing and celebrating diversity. Perhaps ironically, this environment has meant that policy makers are wary of collecting race-based statistics. Thus the question of how aspects of globalization, particularly immigration, are affecting the mixed race make-up of Australia’s population is difficult to answer. In this chapter we argue for the value of at least attempting to collect race-based data in the Australian context. Focusing on Census enumeration, after noting that most official documents measure a single racial category (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander), if anyth...
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ABSTRACT Dilemmas around how to deal with asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat have been a key driver of political and public discourse for over a decade. In 2012, an ‘Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers’ was established to provide... more
ABSTRACT Dilemmas around how to deal with asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by boat have been a key driver of political and public discourse for over a decade. In 2012, an ‘Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers’ was established to provide advice to the Australian government about how to deal with the increasingly embarrassing issue of asylum seekers drowning at sea and a parliamentary stalemate on the matter. Using frame analysis to understand how national and post-national identities are being recruited in this debate, this paper analyses submissions to the Panel. We demonstrate how arguments for and against asylum seekers are constructed around nationalism, regionalism and globalism (cosmopolitan). Australia was variously framed as having an alternative national character from that promoted by politicians, as having a key regional role, and hence identity, and as a global citizen (both in reality and in appearance). Contrary to expectations, we found that each frame served as a vehicle through which progressive arguments were articulated, indicating the utility of each in arguing for more humane treatment of ‘Others’.
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Members of a marginal Australian political party recently sparked controversy by claiming China wants to ‘take over’ Australia. While apparently the opinion of a minority fringe, little is known about how Australians actually feel about... more
Members of a marginal Australian political party recently sparked controversy by claiming China wants to ‘take over’ Australia. While apparently the opinion of a minority fringe, little is known about how Australians actually feel about Asia. This article explores the ways in which Asia is constructed in the Australian imagination, arguing it is both ‘invisible’, yet also a source of deep anxiety. Data from 26 focus groups conducted across Australia offer evidence of this invisibility, with Australians preferring to discuss domestic issues over international ones. But Asia is simultaneously a source of anxiety, in that when Australians do talk about Asia, it is in relation to a perceived threat from Asia’s economic power, its large population, its polluting practices, its military might, and its pursuit of mineral and agricultural resources. Such concerns mask fears of a cultural threat. Discursive analysis reveals how the threat from Asia is articulated, and implications for nation...
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This article reports the results of research into the recent popular phenomenon of flying Australian flags on one’s car for Australia Day. A survey was undertaken in Western Australia in 2011 to ascertain who flies the flag and why.... more
This article reports the results of research into the recent popular phenomenon of flying Australian flags on one’s car for Australia Day. A survey was undertaken in Western Australia in 2011 to ascertain who flies the flag and why. Results indicate the phenomenon was widespread, with a quarter of those surveyed displaying car-flags. A clear relationship between car-flag-flying and exclusionary nationalism is demonstrated. Car-flag-flyers rate more highly on measures of patriotism and nationalism, and feel more negative towards Muslims and asylum seekers, and more positive about the White Australia Policy. They are also significantly more likely to feel their culture and values are in danger, and have a nativist vision of Australian identity. While both groups are positive about Australia’s diversity, car-flag-flyers are more likely to feel that migrants should assimilate. The results support other literature that suggests that in some contexts the Australian flag has come to be ass...
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‘Applied sociology’ is currently something of a buzzword, with the 2008 TASA conference theme focusing on sociology’s contribution to emerging social issues. This paper discusses this theme with reference to sociological contributions to... more
‘Applied sociology’ is currently something of a buzzword, with the 2008 TASA conference theme focusing on sociology’s contribution to emerging social issues. This paper discusses this theme with reference to sociological contributions to agricultural (specifically veterinary) science work, by looking at collaborative research to understand and improve ‘biosecurity’ (the risk of spread of animal diseases). Using two case studies as illustrations, it concludes that despite the challenges of working across disciplines, if we take care to ask both applied, but also theoretical and political research questions, and if we speak the appropriate language to engage in productive dialogue, positive outcomes can be achieved. Keywords: applied sociology; Mode 1 and 2 research; agricultural science; cross disciplinary dialogue Word count: 3170 The 2008 TASA conference theme focuses on ‘re-imagining’ the contribution sociology can make in engaging with emerging social issues in innovative ways – a goal which the developing field of applied sociology, recently described in Nexus, embraces. This paper
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This research explores mono-cultural, mono-lingual local student perceptions of intercultural interactions in structured university learning environments through the lens of Bourdieu’s social field theory. Employing qualitative analysis,... more
This research explores mono-cultural, mono-lingual local student perceptions of intercultural interactions in structured university learning environments through the lens of Bourdieu’s social field theory. Employing qualitative analysis, this study revealed intercultural interactions to be co-shaped by structural, institutional and contextual elements, as well as the personal dispositions students bring to the classroom. Implications for University providers are discussed.
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Part One: Understanding Race and Ethnicity: a theoretical overview 1. Race and Othering 2. Ethnicity and Identity Politics 3. Nations and Globalisation 4. Theories of Migration 5. Dealing with Diversity Part Two: Race and Ethnicity in... more
Part One: Understanding Race and Ethnicity: a theoretical overview 1. Race and Othering 2. Ethnicity and Identity Politics 3. Nations and Globalisation 4. Theories of Migration 5. Dealing with Diversity Part Two: Race and Ethnicity in Australia 6. Considering Australia. Race, Ethnicity and the Nation 7. Indigenous Peoples 8. Migrants in Australia 9. Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Australia Part Three: Emerging Issues 10. Whiteness Studies 11. Religion 12. Intersections 13. Methodological Issues in Race Studies 14. Anti racism
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Among friends? On the dynamics of Maori-Pakeha relationships in Aotearoa New Zealand, by Brandt, Agnes (2013), Gottingen, Vand R Unipress.
In the last quarter of the 20th century the study of globalisation was refined in many ways and especially in the direction of conceptualising the connections, entanglements and interdependencies of the global. An array of terms arose to... more
In the last quarter of the 20th century the study of globalisation was refined in many ways and especially in the direction of conceptualising the connections, entanglements and interdependencies of the global. An array of terms arose to capture these complexities, many containing the suggestion of superseding the nation. The terms ‘post-national’ and ‘cosmopolitan’ are two fields that have come to signify thispossibility. Our contributors engage with the idea of the post-national in a variety of manifestations, focusing on addressing fundamental questions related to the extent and durability of post-national expressions. This collection of articles trace contemporary theoretical debates, and provide empirical material in a variety of contexts using multiple approaches. Collectively, they affirm the relevance of the category of the post-national, and related cosmopolitan outlooks, while charting the mixed, ambivalent, and sometimes reactionary responses to it.
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This paper considers the media frenzy and public outcry that surrounded the publication of findings of a relationship between the flying of Australian flags on cars for Australia Day and racist attitudes. While the findings did not... more
This paper considers the media frenzy and public outcry that surrounded the publication of findings of a relationship between the flying of Australian flags on cars for Australia Day and racist attitudes. While the findings did not surprise many sociologists, they were apparently highly contentious for portions of the Australian public. The role of the academic in fomenting public debate on national identity and the use of national symbols, and their responsibility in relation to calls for a ‘public sociology’, are discussed, using the lens of the concept of provocation.
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Emergency services are increasingly recognizing the need to engage with the diverse communities they serve. In an emergency management context, reciprocal trust based on awareness and understanding is essential during times of natural... more
Emergency services are increasingly recognizing the need to engage with the diverse communities they serve. In an emergency management context, reciprocal trust based on awareness and understanding is essential during times of natural disasters, emergencies and other catastrophic events. This paper describes an initiative by the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia to build its capacity to deal appropriately with an increasingly visible, and marginalized, minority the Muslim community through a program designed to raise awareness and understanding among its staff. Despite some initial internal reticence and broader community criticism, outcomes included raised levels of awareness among FESA members of diversity issues generally, improved knowledge of Islam and related cultural issues, and a number of strong partnerships leading to further community development activities. This paper describes the social, political and organizational context in which the trainin...
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The Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG), the statistical standard used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for the collection, aggregation and dissemination of data relating to the cultural... more
The Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG), the statistical standard used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for the collection, aggregation and dissemination of data relating to the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Australian population, is, like many other classificatory systems, strange and inconsistent. The current approach is limited and anachronistic.
Ethnicity and race questions are difficult, given their potential to alienate, reference historical injustices, invisibilise, and to ignore specificities. However, the census, as the official tool of the nation for data collection, and the categories it uses, sends a message, signalling the types of information seen as valid and valuable, with implications for the imagining of the nation-state and its peoples, and its orientation to diversity and inclusion.
While recognising the need for consistency over time, this commentary proposes some changes to permit expanded ways of measuring ethnic and particularly racial mixedness while minimising disruption to longitudinal studies. We recommend small, possibly incremental, changes that will reduce inconsistencies in the ASCCEG, and permit more than two ancestral identifications and hence data collection that reflects the changing demographic realities a diverse Australian population. We also recommend exploration of a race/population group/visibility question.
Ethnicity and race questions are difficult, given their potential to alienate, reference historical injustices, invisibilise, and to ignore specificities. However, the census, as the official tool of the nation for data collection, and the categories it uses, sends a message, signalling the types of information seen as valid and valuable, with implications for the imagining of the nation-state and its peoples, and its orientation to diversity and inclusion.
While recognising the need for consistency over time, this commentary proposes some changes to permit expanded ways of measuring ethnic and particularly racial mixedness while minimising disruption to longitudinal studies. We recommend small, possibly incremental, changes that will reduce inconsistencies in the ASCCEG, and permit more than two ancestral identifications and hence data collection that reflects the changing demographic realities a diverse Australian population. We also recommend exploration of a race/population group/visibility question.
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... 584616 Farida Fozdar * pages 383-405. ... Miles, R. 1993. Racism after 'race relations , London: Routledge. View all references). Within social psychology this is recognised in 'realistic group conflict theory' (Levine... more
... 584616 Farida Fozdar * pages 383-405. ... Miles, R. 1993. Racism after 'race relations , London: Routledge. View all references). Within social psychology this is recognised in 'realistic group conflict theory' (Levine and Campbell 197251. Levine, R. and Campbell, D. 1972. ...
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Academic debate about the anachronism of national borders is extensive. The general population, however, has been less keen to embrace the idea of a ‘postnational’ world. This paper offers evidence from focus groups with Australians... more
Academic debate about the anachronism of national borders is extensive. The general population, however, has been less keen to embrace the idea of a ‘postnational’ world. This paper offers evidence from focus groups with Australians suggesting that in some quarters talking beyond the nation is occurring. However, the ideology of the nation-state remains strong, and such talk is quickly shut down using a particular rhetorical device. This is ‘the principle/practical’ dichotomy, which insists that dropping national borders is impractical for a range of reasons, despite it perhaps being a valuable idea in principle. The paper explores the ways this occurs, using detailed critical discourse analysis. Practical objections are generally framed in terms of governance rather than cultural issues. However, practical examples of existing ‘no borders’ situations are used to make the counter-argument that a postnational world is possible.
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Finding employment and developing social networks that can facilitate this task can be major challenges for migrants from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Australia and comparable countries, and even more so for... more
Finding employment and developing social networks that can facilitate this task can be major challenges for migrants from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Australia and comparable countries, and even more so for refugees who represent a ...
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This paper tracks the emergence, maintenance and evolution of a positive intercultural relationship between a multilingual international student from Vietnam and a monolingual local Australian student in their first year at university.... more
This paper tracks the emergence, maintenance and evolution of a positive intercultural relationship between a multilingual international student from Vietnam and a monolingual local Australian student in their first year at university. The literature overwhelmingly suggests that in institutions where English is the language of instruction, monolingual local students rarely mix with international students who are not fully proficient in English. This dyad thus provided fertile ground for exploring the development of an unusual intercultural student relationship. Narrative analysis explores the extent to which individual agency and the institutional environment co-shaped this relationship over time and in various contexts. In the context of internationalisation of the tertiary education sphere, this study offers a prototypical case highlighting affordances and constraints that may influence the development of productive and amicable intercultural relationships on diverse university campuses.
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ABSTRACT This research examines the understandings and experiences of mono-cultural, mono-lingual local students in relation to intercultural interactions within small group learning activities at university. Bourdieu’s concepts of field,... more
ABSTRACT This research examines the understandings and experiences of mono-cultural, mono-lingual local students in relation to intercultural interactions within small group learning activities at university. Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus and capital are employed to illuminate a number of barriers to intercultural interaction. Using qualitative analysis of interviews with local students, the study revealed intercultural interactions to be co-shaped by multiple co-existing, interdependent and often competing structural and contextual elements, as well as the personal dispositions that students bring to the classroom. The field tends to privilege the capital held by local students (knowledge of small group work, verbal confidence, language), and imposes structural limits on interactions. While students' habitus mediates this effect, the overall result discourages interactions between local students and those from different cultural backgrounds. Implications for universities are discussed.
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Australia has become increasingly vulnerable to infectious animal diseases through the effects of globalisation. As a result, biosecurity-the safeguarding of livestock from disease-has become a key concern of government agriculture... more
Australia has become increasingly vulnerable to infectious animal diseases through the effects of globalisation. As a result, biosecurity-the safeguarding of livestock from disease-has become a key concern of government agriculture departments. Farmers are at the ...
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This report provides a profile of the characterisitics and needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds living in the City of Swan Local Government Area (LGA), especially those from the new and emerging... more
This report provides a profile of the characterisitics and needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds living in the City of Swan Local Government Area (LGA), especially those from the new and emerging communities. The term „new and emerging communities‟ („new migrant communities‟ henceforth) refers to specific migrant groups who have distinctive settlement needs. They generally consist of humanitarian entrants.
The primary focus of this study is to provide a profile of the residents from new migrant communities in the City of Swan LGA, identifying their current population numbers and to predict population trends for the next five years. A secondary focus is to provide a similar profile for other CaLD communities. Such base-line data will assist the City to be proactive in planning for this sector of the community. An assessment of the availability and utilisation of services is also undertaken to ascertain their effectiveness in meeting new migrant needs. MMRC has contracted independent social researchers to undertake this research.
The primary focus of this study is to provide a profile of the residents from new migrant communities in the City of Swan LGA, identifying their current population numbers and to predict population trends for the next five years. A secondary focus is to provide a similar profile for other CaLD communities. Such base-line data will assist the City to be proactive in planning for this sector of the community. An assessment of the availability and utilisation of services is also undertaken to ascertain their effectiveness in meeting new migrant needs. MMRC has contracted independent social researchers to undertake this research.
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Stubborn transnational problems-especially global warming-pose a particular challenge for Western democracies. It is no coincidence that the downfall of recent political leaders has been directly or indirectly connected to climate change.