Throughout my school years, I have often heard the words ‘multicultural’ and ‘diverse’ to describe Australia. I knew the concept of it and initially believed that everyone would be more than happy to belong in a society– in particular, Australia’s– where the cultural diversity highlights Australia’s unique identity as a nation. Recently however, the attacks on Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne has made me reflect over Australia and it’s multicultural label. This has incited me to choose multiculturalism as a topic that would be both of great interest to me and at the same time, is a topic highly relevant in Australian society.

My personal reflection would be a plausible and highly relevant form of research as my perspective can be contrasted against the perspectives of other people regarding multiculturalism; one of the aims of my research.. A close-ended questionnaire would be the most effective way to gauge a number of general attitudes from respondents, the results of which can be used for further comparison or contrast with other research findings. The questionnaire will be conducted in the South-Western Sydney region as my research requires me to focus on a specific area and may possibly allow me to present those findings as similar across the rest of Australia. The utilisation of statistical analysis as it would be a simple way to present my findings and conduct further analysis if needed.

Multiculturalism establishes the recognition of the diverse language and culture of Australian society and is a term many Australians proudly pin to the identity of Australia. However, it is also a term used in many debates over whether it actually benefits or is destructive to society thus is a significant concept that will be further explored through my research. Society-in particular, Australian society, will be the focus of the findings and analysis of my research as I attempt to discover what multiculturalism means to people which is a substantial purpose for my research. Cultural diversity is also related to multiculturalism in that it refers to a society constructed by a number of cultures. In that sense, culture is also relevant in my research as this is what the foundation of many perspectives I will gather in my research, will be based upon. Identity will also play a part in my investigation as I aim to dig further in regards to the Australian identity, which multiculturalism is possibly a part of.

The cross-cultural perspective I have decided to compare is ethnicity. The term ‘ethnicity’ has a variety of definitions but in this context, I be specifically focusing on comparing views between people of Anglo-Australian background to those who are not from an Anglo-Australian origin. Comparing these two perspectives will allow me to find – if any-possible differences or similarities in views regarding multiculturalism which would enable me to reflect on the reasons for these perspectives and contrast them with my own.

A number of ethical issues may arise during the process of my research. Respondents in my questionnaire may find some questions of a highly personal nature as my research is largely based on these views. The confidentiality of respondents will also be a key factor, one in which I will aim to ensure.

The process of this project will hopefully result in making me a more socially and culturally literate person as I would have a variety of perspectives similar or dissimilar to my own in relation to a significant topic in society, that of multiculturalism. The application a number of research methodologies will also enforce the legimiticy of my findings and consequently, improve my research skills.

Chapter 1 – Acceptance vs. Racial Tension

As a Vietnamese-Australian student from a South-Western Sydney school and having contact on a daily basis with students from various cultural backgrounds, I believe multiculturalism has benefited society. From Harmony Day celebrations at school to exchanging food with my Lebanese neighbours, it seems clear to me that multiculturalism is vital to encourage understanding and acceptance between people of different backgrounds.

In 1997, The Department of Immigration and Citizenship published their views multiculturalism in Australia, stating that overall, it has a positive impact on Australia from by increasing employment rates and general living standards. It also highlights the advantage Australia has gained globally as a result of multiculturalism, for example, our strong economic relationship with Asia. (Multicultural Australia: The Way Forward 1997)

On a more local level, multiculturalism for me seems to be just as successful and advantageous as it appeared to be on a national level, 13 years ago.

Nevertheless there has been incidents over the years which have generated debates regarding the ability for people of different backgrounds to respect each other and live harmoniously, the ultimate aim of multiculturalism. An example is the 2005 Cronulla riots. This series of riots stemming from an attack against Australian lifesavers quickly escalated into a race-driven chain of violent attacks. This incident can be seen as an example of the failure of multiculturalism in Australian society. On the other hand, it can be used to demonstrate the success of multiculturalism, where an area homogeneous, in other words, dominated by a single ethnic group (therefore more hostile towards outsiders) will be more prone to violence. (Bell, 2006)

In my questionnaire, (a copy of which can be seen below) I have discovered a number of attitudes that supports Bell’s views on multiculturalism.

Questionnaire – An investigation into attitudes regarding multiculturalism in South-Western Sydney

Please take a few moments to complete this questionnaire about multiculturalism in South-Western Sydney. I have conducted it as part of my primary research for my HSC Personal Interest Project and your responses will be very helpful as part of this research. Remember that you will remain anonymous and your responses will be used solely for academic purposes.

Tick the box that applies to you

I am an Anglo-Australian

I am not an Anglo-Australian

How do you usually come into contact with people of a different cultural background to your own? Tick the 3 most significant options

School Shopping centre Food

Workplace Media Other _______

Tick 3 options out of the following that you often associate with the term ‘multiculturalism’

Harmony Tolerance Racism

Conflict Exotic food Acceptance

On the scale below, mark with an X how you feel towards people of a different cultural background to yourself

Uneasy Neutral Very accepting

(Continue on to the next page)

Has multiculturalism played a role in shaping your response to the previous question? Circle yes or no

Yes/No

Indicate with a tick your response to each statement

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly agree

Australia is a very multicultural country

Multiculturalism benefits society by making people more understanding of other cultures

Multiculturalism is an important aspect of Australian culture

“Conflict occurs when people of different cultural backgrounds live close together in a society”

Indicate with a number from 1-10 how much you agree with the above statement, with 10 being in complete agreement

1-10

Rank the following countries from 1-6 according to how multicultural you think they are, with 1 being the most multicultural and the least being 6

Australia India Netherlands

Canada Japan United States

Do you think multiculturalism will last in Australia? Circle yes or no

Yes/No

Have you ever experienced racial harassment in your community? Circle yes or no

Yes/No

Thank you for your time in completing this questionnaire.

Q. 4 of my questionnaire (see p. 6) suggests that multiculturalism has had a positive effect on society. Overwhelmingly, 100% (21/21) of all respondents revealed a feeling of acceptance towards people from other cultural backgrounds with 56% (5/9) of Anglo-Australian respondents and 42% (5/12) of non Anglo Australian respondents indicating they were ‘very accepting’. Q. 5 (see p. 7) follows up on the previous question, with 100% (21/21) of respondents acknowledging that multiculturalism had an effect on the outcome of their response to the previous question. (Questionnaire 2010: 6-7)

The results of these two questions can be contrasted with Bell’s views on multiculturalism, where an area – particularly South-Western-Sydney – that is largely multicultural will have people more likely to accept those from other cultural backgrounds to themselves.

Bruce Haigh, an article writer for ABC challenges this view of Australia as an accepting society. He states ‘Of course Australia is racist.’ ‘Australians from the dominant Anglo/Celtic culture expect new Australians from other cultural backgrounds to show some respect, perhaps even a small cringe and obsequiousness, forelock tugging, until such time as they know the ropes, cut their cultural ties and enter the mainstream’. (Haigh 2009)

This article however contradicts my findings in Q.4 of my questionnaire, where I observed that all, particularly Anglo-Australian respondents, expressed that they felt acceptance towards people of other cultural backgrounds.

A recent study by political scientist Robert D. Putnam also confronts the view that multiculturalism benefits society. The comprehensive study involved more than 40 cases and 30 000 people in the U.S and suggests a number of problems relating to trust in a culturally diverse community. His findings reveal that the higher the level of diversity in a community, the higher the level of distrust between people of that community. These results depict multiculturalism as having a detrimental effect on society, creating mistrust in multicultural societies instead of the ideal aim of bringing people in these societies closer together. (Wikipedia – Robert D. Putnam 2010)

Putnam’s study struck a chord in my memory, in particular, the word ‘mistrust’.

It was the beginning of Year 7, my first year of high school when sitting in class, the teacher began asking each person as a ‘get-to-know-your-classmates-game’ to announce to the class what their nationality was and what primary school they had come from. One girl in particular said she came from Iraq. Her answer generated a reply from a fellow-classmate who called her a ‘terrorist’.

Needless to say, this instance of racial stereotyping can be suggested as evidence to accredit Putnam’s findings where mistrust between cultures can develop as a result of multiculturalism. It highlights an underlying prejudice and negative stereotyping that may occur even in a culturally diverse society.

Cultural historian Hsu-Ming Teo’s article mirrors Putnam’s argument that multiculturalism has potentially negative effects on society, stating, “Once touted as the cure to racism, intolerance and assumptions about Anglo-Saxon cultural supremacy, multiculturalism is now cited as the cause of intolerance and racism”. (Teo 2006)

Q. 7 of my questionnaire (see p. 3) also investigates a possible negative aspect of multiculturalism in society

Figure 1: Conflict in society

The responses I received for this question (see Figure 1) were diverse. I distinguished a great range of responses with a plurality (8/21) of respondents indicating disagreement that ‘conflict occurs in culturally diverse societies.’ However, a similar number of respondents (7/21) expressed agreement with the statement, which may suggest a divide in views regarding conflict in a culturally diverse society. Neither of these opposing viewpoints convey a majority over the other which hints that my findings in relation to this question do not support or refute Teo’s views on multiculturalism in Australia but instead, remain ambiguous. (Questionnaire 2010: 7)

Chapter 2 – Examine the role of ethnicity on differing perspectives regarding multiculturalism

“Multiculturalism means that as a nation Australians recognise, accept, respect and celebrate the nation’s cultural diversity.” (Healey 2006: 41)

Question 2 of my questionnaire (see page 2) addressed the concepts that I believed most respondents would use to describe the term ‘multiculturalism’, the results of which can be contrasted against Healey’s definition of multiculturalism.

100% (21/21) of all respondents, regardless of ethnicity, established ‘harmony’ as one of the concepts that linked to multiculturalism. However, only 76% (16/21) of respondents indicated ‘acceptance’ as one of their options. Out of these, 25% (4/16) were of Anglo-Australian origin compared to 75% (12/16) of whom were non-Anglo-Australian. The outcomes of this question can be used to suggest that non-Anglo-Australians connote ‘acceptance’ as part of a definition for multiculturalism whereas Anglo-Australians would find it of less importance. This however, would be a general statement, the least of which required me to further analyse my findings. (Questionnaire 2010: 6)

Healey also adds that multiculturalism is “considered to be a unifying force in Australia’s developing nationhood and evolving identity.” (Healey 2006: 41)

This contrasts with views from Graeme Campbell and Mark Uhlman who state, “A fundamental step needed to promote social cohesion and an evolving national identity – to bring us together as Australians – is to scrap the policy of multiculturalism.” (Giles 1993: 225)

Question 6 of my questionnaire challenges these views, (see p. 7) which were originally aimed to gauge general views from respondents regarding multiculturalism in society. The results of this question can be seen in the graphs below.

Figure 2.a – Results from Anglo-Australian respondents

Figure 2.b – Results from non Anglo-Australian respondents

100% (21/21) of all respondents agreed that ‘Australia is a very multicultural country’ with 92% (19/21) indicating that they ‘strongly agree’ with the statement. The majority of respondents also agreed that “Multiculturalism benefits society by making people more understanding of other cultures”. Only 22% (2/9) Anglo-Australian respondents ‘strongly agree[d]’ to the notion that multiculturalism is ‘an important aspect of Australian culture’ (refer to Figure 2.a) compared to 58% (7/12) of non Anglo-Australians respondents (refer to Figure 2.b) . This can be interpreted as a slight reluctance from Anglo-Australian respondents in establishing multiculturalism as a feature of importance in Australian society. (Questionnaire 2010: 7)

Another aspect that is particularly relevant and requires further exploration is racism – this unavoidable(?) aspect to multiculturalism is essential in examining differing perspectives of multiculturalism.

As much as I wish racism does not occur, I know it happens in Australia – a country that is constantly listed as one of the most culturally diverse in the world – and have occasionally been a victim of it, the most direct example of it occurred when I was walking down a street with a friend. We passed a group of people who proceeded to yell out and call us ‘chinks’ and to ‘go back to your own country’. In saying that though, it rarely happens but when it does, I really start to wonder..

BBC released an article on racism in Australia. It describes an almost decade-long study led by Professor Dunn from the University of Western Study which reveals that ‘more than 80% of people see cultural diversity as a benefit’. This outcome supports my findings in Q.6 of my questionnaire where the majority of respondents also agreed that multiculturalism enhanced society. His other findings however, suggest that 1 in 10 Australians hold racist views. (BBC 2008)

Q.10 of my questionnaire (see p. 7) attempted to canvass whether respondents have ever experienced racial harassment in their community. A majority of respondents; 78% (7/9) Anglo-Australians and 75% (9/12) non Anglo Australians reported themselves as having experienced racism. The results of my find were quite worrying, especially as most respondents, seem to agree that multiculturalism benefits society by promoting acceptance and understanding thus would decrease racism occurring. My findings to this question however, suggest otherwise. (Questionnaire 2010: 7)

Chapter 3 – Predict the future of multiculturalism in Australia

There have been many events throughout the history of Australia that have helped shape multiculturalism and it’s relation to the Australian identity as we know it today.

A major event would include the period when Australia became a Federation; with its implementation of The Immigration Restriction Act or, more widely known as the “White Australia Policy”. By the turning point of the century, popular beliefs were held of white superiority and racial purity. The creation and subsequent abolishment of this policy would motivate a completely different Australian identity in the near future compared to what it was then. (Walsh 2001: 27)

Perhaps the most significant event in developing multiculturalism in current Australian society is the introduction of the nation’s first official multicultural policies in 1978. It symbolised a new identity for Australia as a culturally diverse nation and stood in great contrast to the earlier policy restricting immigration for non-British peoples into Australian society. (Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 6: 2007)

Another event of considerable influence to would be Living in Harmony program, later to be changed to The Diverse Australia Program. The construction of this program initiated the launch of ‘Harmony Day’ . Started in 1999, Harmony Day is celebrated by many Australians every year on the 21st of March. The mere fact that it is declared a day to celebrate Australia’s inclusiveness and diversity is enough to suggest multiculturalism has a great impact on Australia’s culture and identity. (Ellson 2009)

Harmony Day for me, brings a wave of thoughts that come from each year in high school. It was one of the most highly anticipated days for our school each year and a day of entertainment, not only as a diversion from the classroom but a day where I could both experience and reflect on the traditions and heritage of other cultures whether it be through food or cultural performances.

A general view of multiculturalism and its current effect on can be distinguished in Figures 2.a and 2.b (see p. 12) where most respondents agree that multiculturalism contributes positively to Australian society. This agreement suggests that multiculturalism has a strong effect in society, one that may endure in the future.

With the circumstances that have occurred both in the past and the present respecting multiculturalism and its presence in Australian society comes the question, ‘Will it last?’

Multiculturalism is currently something, I believe, will have a lasting effect on Australia, whether or not it will last into the future. It seems to me that its effect on society is irreversible – I at least, cannot imagine a future Australia devoid of its current rich mix of cultures.

The 2006 census reveals a drastic increase in the total population of Australia from 1901 to 2006. Nevertheless, it also places the number of Australians born overseas as making up around 22.2% of the total population, which is roughly the same percentage (22.8%) percentage observed in 1901. Assuming the percentage of overseas-born Australians remain the same, the results can be used to suggest a future where cultural diversity is still a fact of life in Australia. (Australia: a culturally diverse society: 2008)

The results of Q.9 of my questionnaire (see p. 7) conveys, if not the same thoughts as mine, a similar view on multiculturalism in the future (see figure below)

Figure 3: Responses regarding future of multiculturalism in Australia

All respondents (100%) indicated that they believed multiculturalism would last in Australia which strongly suggests a continuity for this aspect of Australian society, especially when correlated with the data presented by the 2006 census. (Questionnaire 2010: p. 7)

Conclusion

I have discovered a range of attitudes regarding multiculturalism in Australian society some in which I believe may reflect a large portion of the whole of Australia, if not all. The responses received from my questionnaire can be interpreted as results that can reflect the views of the wider community, such as the fact that most respondents agreed that multiculturalism was an important aspect of Australia’s culture. Some responses however were not quite as expected especially regarding Q.10 which gauged whether or not my respondents had experienced racism, the results of which encouraged me to reflect on my own experiences as a high-school student living in South-Western Sydney, — an area which I believed was very culturally diverse and in which I had supposed would have the least amount of racism. The responses had in fact, suggested that multiculturalism might not be working after all and if it is, racism is an issue that would need to be addressed. My secondary research has also been valuable in determining various aspects of cultural diversity and it’s possible consequences. Some articles, especially the ones that expressed the opinions of the writers, contained their own personal experiences and views on multiculturalism in Australia which were significant to my research.

In a way, my research has effectively answered my hypothesis in that it displayed an array of different views relating to cultural diversity. However, there are some aspects of my findings which remain uncertain such as the responses to Q.7 of my close-ended questionnaire, the results of which I have decided were too similar between the two ethnicities measured – similar in that the percentages would differ dramatically if a single individual were to choose a particular option. I believe that had I given out a larger number of questionnaires, the results may have been more reliable. Also, I found it quite difficult to create questions that were both clear to the respondent and at the same time- remain relevant to the intended themes of the question/s, this is partly why I have only depicted the results of the questions I believed were the most appropriate.

Some changes I would possibly make to my methods of research include a greater number of questionnaire respondents and perhaps, aim to create a questionnaire more clear in its purpose.

I believe my application of personal reflection has been advantageous for my research in supporting some attitudes towards multiculturalism. The employment of statistical analysis has also been useful in that it made presentation of some of my findings more readily viewable thus allowed a greater ease for analysis of the results.

I sincerely believe the research I have undertaken has made me a more culturally and literate person. The use of research methodologies has provided me with an understanding of their purpose and how the results of my findings may be more valid if I had ensured a better creation of them. I have learnt to discern the media critically and tried to recognise bias that may occur in specific articles and more importantly, I have recognised my own bias in initially viewing multiculturalism as something that that every Australian should embrace. Despite the findings that I have found that go against the idea of multiculturalism, which is something that I have constantly come across during the process of my research, I still believe that it is an important feature of Australia, if not for the rest of the world.

Log

The process of this journey can be described with 10 significant steps that have helped develop the end product.

One includes the class presentation where we had to come up with an idea that interested. This allowed us to come up with different issues in society that interested us the most and consequently, create a proposal for our personal interest project based on those chosen ideas.

Originally, I had decided on global warming as a topic of some interest to me. However, after reflecting on my class presentation and the idea of global warming as a topic for my personal interest project, I had decided that even though it was a topic of interest to me, it was not interesting enough for me to spend a great deal of time in researching it. In other words, I didn’t think it interesting enough to research for 9 months. Accordingly, I chose multiculturalism as it was both relevant to a number of society and culture concepts, but more importantly, it was a highly interesting topic to me.

The introduction of my project also had a large impact on the creation of my project. The construction of it enabled me to have a clear view on the research I would need to undertake and provide me with specific goals hence, making my research more manageable.

My PIP scrapbook was also significant as it helped me keep a tab on all the ideas and various research which were to contribute to my project.

Some class time was also spent on practising close-ended questionnaires. This contributed positively to the creation of my own questionnaire which was subsequently utilised and improved to become part of my research for my PIP.

Kate Walsh’s book on the “Changing Face of Australia” provided me with inspiration for my third chapter, where I would then research on the past and present events that contributed to the multiculturalism we experience in today’s society. TV was also a source of information for me and provided me with some ideas for further research on my topic.

The refinement of my topic had a large impact on the outcome of my project as I needed to focus on an area that wasn’t too broad but at the same time, could be used legitimately to represent a greater part of Australian society. Recognising some ethical issues that may present themselves during my research was significant in my research as it ensured that my research was to remain an appropriate as possible to explore as part of Society and Culture. Other aspects that have contributed my project include my personal reflections, reflections in which enabled me to research further and find ideas that contrasted mine.

Annotated Bibliography

Australia: a culturally diverse society, 2008. http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/culturally_diverse.html (9 August 2010)

The information in this article included a number of relevant statistics that were used to support my findings.

Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 6 – The Evolution of Australia’s Multicultural Policy, 2007. http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/06evolution.htm (3 August 2010)

This factsheet described key events in Australia’s history that were invaluable when used to contrast against Australia’s early policy on restricting immigration.

BBC, Australian racism ‘still serious’, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7641158.stm (26 July 2010)

This resource allowed me to gauge the statistics of a recent study concerning racism in Australia, the results of which were significant to my research.

Bell, John, Australia: state of fear, 2006. http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/australia-state-of-fear/2006/01/26/1138066918372.html (June 15 2010)

This article gave me an interesting perspective that could be taken in viewing the results of the 2005 Cronulla riots, with an explanation of how it be used as an example to support multiculturalism.

Ellson, Sue, What does Harmony Day mean to me?, 2009. http://www.openforum.com.au/content/what-does-harmony-day-mean-me (7 August 2010)

This resource enabled me to reflect on my own thoughts concerning Harmony Day and my experience with this particular celebration.

Giles, Richard. For & against : public issues in Australia, Queensland , Brooks Waterloo, 1993.

This resource contained viewpoints arguing the importance of multiculturalism. The points addressed were valuable in allowing comparison between other research findings of the same subject.

Haigh, Bruce, Racism in Australia, 2009. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2588104.htm (16 June 2010)

Haigh’s views on racism in Australia allowed me to contrast my own findings with his opinions and thus, enabled me to research further on the negative aspects of multiculturalism.

Healey, Justin. Australian Identity and Values, Thirroul, The Spinney Press, 2006.

The extent of this resource was that it contained a definition of multiculturalism – one in which I compared to my primary research findings.

Multicultural Australia: The Way Forward, 1997. http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/multicultural/issues97/macpape3.htm (15 June 2010)

This resource was convenient in giving me a general overview of the advantages Australian society gained globally and as a nation.

Robert D. Putnam, 2010.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_D._Putnam (16 June 2010)

Putnam’s findings contrasted, but more importantly, facilitated my personal reflection on possible issues related to living in a culturally diverse society

Teo, Hsu M, These days it’s harder to be different, 2006. http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/these-days-its-harder-to-be-different/2006/12/06/1165081019992.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1 (17 June 2010)

Walsh, Kate. The Changing Face of Australia, NSW, Allen & Unwin, 2001.

The overview of Australian history in this resource provided me information about events that helped create modern day Australia, of which were important in my research.