Multiculturalism In Australia Essay

Barbara Ehrenreich in her article titled “Teach Diversity- with a Smile” says that we as individuals must change the way we think and behave if we ever hope to have a “multiculturalists” world. The author introduces us to the idea of “multiculturalism” the belief in a society that is peaceful and that celebrates its diversity. Barbara also talks about the differences between monoculturalism, multiculturalism, and being politically correct. She says that the schools and parents have to change the way they teach children and to teach children to speak up if they see an injustice.

So what does “multiculturalism” mean? In simple terms multiculturalism is the coexistence, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures in a singular geographic or democratic jurisdiction. Multiculturalism has been a huge part of this study as Australia as a nation is diversified into a various cultural aspects. The concept of multiculturalism has become a widely accepted and embraced fact around the world as more and more countries have adopted to the global policies of acceptance which not only helps the nation economically but also contributes towards the growth of various cultural boundaries and also helps develop knowledge about wide spread variety of customs and culture groups around the world. Ultimately the essence of multiculturalism in any society is to eradicate the feeling of an outsider and accept ethnic and racial groups as their our and build the concept of unity in

This week and posts from other classmates brought the realization to myself that as a country we must have limits to multiculturalism and the allowing of cultural practices. Family equality and safety are the utmost priority within this sphere; although religion is a personal right one must remember our laws and legislation and abide by such. “To allow Sharia law to be practiced in Canada, especially in the legal system, would be a regression in human rights” (Ottenbreit, August 13, 2014, Sociology

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stated that “Australia is the world’s most successful multicultural nation”. All the people know Australia is a multicultural state which is a civilization of populace from a wealthy variety of artistic, racial, linguistic. The multiculturalism describes the difference of culture and race in modern Australia. This difference is trying to safeguard the benefit of every Australian and national interest. Cultural variety is significant since our state, workplaces, and school are comprised of a variety of artistic, ethnic, and racial clusters. We can gain knowledge of it from one another. Everyone has their rights to express and share their culture heritage including language and religion. All of us have to establish a stage of accepting about each other. Everyone needs to respect each other whatever by different culture and religion, this is the meaning of freedom. Freedom is not likely to get rid of limitation or do what you want to do. It is a standard that everyone can understand the differences brought about by different cultures.

Australia is a multicultural country and welcomes people from varying nationalities into its communities each and every day. As a result, classrooms all over Australia are changing. No matter what location a teacher is contracted to, there will be some element of a variety of cultures within that environment. Diversity of cultures within individual communities will fluctuate from town to town and state to state as people re-settle and create homes for themselves and forge a new identity and sense of place. As a teacher, it is also important to note, that the experiences of migrant students in your class will vary. Some may assimilate very well; others may encounter more hurdles than others. A teacher’s role in a child’s life should be one which is positive. Supporting a child through their education and ensuring they have appropriate care and compassion in relation to their situation is important. This guide has been put together to help teachers with some background knowledge on educating culturally diverse students and some strategies to help foster compassion and understanding within the classroom.

Are we adapting, losing or revolutionising our identity through American media and importation? If so, who is to blame?

Multiculturalism is a political process whereby the government uses it to create peace between its people, but really it undermines much of what is valuable about diversity. When we talk about diversity, what we mean is that the world is a messy place, full of clashes and

The White Australian policy was Australia’s solution to prevent immigrants migrating into the country’s colonies. The law was enforced so that the Chinese, Africans, and all non-European were not allowed to enter the country, these were the factors that led to the law. The white Australian policy was actually called ‘Immigration restriction act’. Australia’s plan all along was to stay as a white only country that was run under British customs. The White Australian policy also excluded prostitutes and criminals.

The pressure placed upon multicultural often leads to questioning of its value and usefulness in building the Canadian nation. there have been far too many questionable call of ethics on behalf of the government in regardless to who has taken, or not been able to take up for role in the country. Historically we see this negative connotation follow distinct groups of people. Notably: Aboriginal with residential schools (thought interesting because they are now seen as founding peoples, yet the last residential school was only closed in the early 90s), the Chinese head tax, Japanese intermittent camps, the turning away of Jewish individuals during WWII. It becomes difficult to see how some of those “marginalized or minority” groups in Canada are able to find themselves, even today, in an inclusive, equal and democratic society when multiculturalism in public discourse often hold onto old or stereotypical understandings. It continues to act as an ongoing point of contention because of the lack of historical knowledge Canadians have, as well as the increasing lack of engagement day-to-day contemporary politics and national happenings. It acts as an ignorance, that ultimately has consequences on the nations moral as well as its multicultural policies. In order to progress as a society and nation, it becomes increasingly difficult to build the foundation on old understandings and not re-contextualize group and national identities in a 21st century context (Leung 1-2). Leung notes

Australia is a settler nation which is now made up of many ethnic groups who share similar cultural traditions, common language, shared history and a shared identity (ABS, 2016). These groups contribute to what is referred to multiculturalism. Australia has a higher proportion of people born overseas than the US, Canada and the UK, with 49% of Australia’s population (or a parent) being born overseas (Census of Population and Housing, 2016). Compared to other Western nations, Australia has one of the most diverse immigration populations (Collins, 2013, p. 145). The meaning of multiculturalism in Australia has changed significantly over time. Today, Australia is a culturally and ethnically diverse country and therefore is a multicultural society. In terms of public policy, multiculturalism can be defined as policies and practices implemented by the Australian government that aim to manage cultural diversity to benefit the whole of society (Department of Social Services, 2014). Although Australia is a multicultural society, there are criticisms of public policy surrounding multiculturalism.

Since 9/11, support for multiculturalism has dropped in many liberal states like Australia and Britain. In many western democracies Muslims are perceived as potential terrorists who carry illiberal practices and are unable to embrace the values and norms of the liberal system. In Britain, multiculturalism was blamed for the atrocities caused by the terrorist attacks of London 2005. More recently the issue of ISIS has created lots of worries in Britain and the country seems to suffer from not only a multiculturalism crisis but also an identity crisis. Prime Minister David Cameron made it clear in his speech in a security conference held in Munich 2011 that the policies of multiculturalism that were applied in the past have created a fragmented

This paper will assess the effectiveness of Australia’s multicultural policy through an analysis of its traits and its capacity to create a socially cohesive society. It recognizes that multiculturalism plays an important role in national identity. In addition to this, it recognises that there are a number of factors which can impact on the level of social cohesion including political discourse and global events. This essay will claim that the new arrived migrants and refugees from Middle Eastern and African demographics are facing countless trials in successfully integrating into Australian society and this has an impact on the country’s social cohesion. This essay will be supported by an interview with Cooper from Australia,

Australia has always been a multicultural country, the first immigrants that came to Australia were the British in 1788. During this phase of European settlement various policies were created to address cultural diversity. One of the most infamous policies was that of assimilation that forced Australian Aboriginal people and migrants to give up their own culture and heritage and assimilate to colonial Australian culture. Eventually this policy was revised to Multiculturalism. That as a policy in Australia refers to handling the ramifications of diversity, bearing in mind that all Australians have the right to a cultural identity, all citizens must be able to express their cultural inheritance. Whether Multiculturalism is advantageous for Australia or not is a very controversial topic. There is a side that argues that multiculturalism could threaten the lifestyle of many Australians. On the other hand, research demonstrates that from an Australian perspective it has been mostly advantageous. This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of multiculturalism in Australia, with regard to economical, historical and social perspectives.

Many political leaders in Europe have declared that their attempts on multiculturalism have failed, “In October 2010, German Chancellor Angela Merkel proclaimed that a multicultural approach had ‘utterly failed’ in Germany. In February 2011, French President Nicolas Sarkozy also called multiculturalism a failure, and British Prime Minister David Cameron indicted his country’s policy as of multiculturalism for failing to promote a sense of common identity and encouraging Muslim segregation and radicalization.” (Bloemraad, I. 2011, page 1). Not only do political figures of European countries believe that multiculturalism has been a failure, but citizens of many European countries believe the same impression, as stated in Kenan Malik’s text ‘What is wrong with multiculturalism? A European Perspective’, there are three myths about immigration that have grounded the present-day view that multiculturalism as a political process has been unsuccessful. The first myth being that “European countries used to be homogenous but have been made diverse by mass immigration”, the second myth is “the claim that contemporary immigration to Europe is different, and in some eyes less assimilable, than previous waves” and the third myth is “European nations have become multicultural because minorities wished to assert their differences.” (Malik, K. 2012, pages 1 and 2). Malik then

The increased demand came mainly from developed countries whose governments held the perception that skilled immigrants could easily assimilate into their new societies. Multiculturalist’s policies were introduced as a means to address new citizenship issues, cross-cultural understanding, discourage racism, discrimination and violence. Amongst the most important rights that were at the forefront were the rights to private property and political freedom. It was seen as a manifestation of the commitment to diversity. Education was used to initiate the naturalisation of immigrants and new citizens into communities while addressing the fears and grievances of the existing citizens. However by the late 80s multiculturalism was criticised by a new breed of conservatives called the neo-liberals who felt that multiculturalism was blocking a shared national identity and denounced it as a misguided. In many ways their philosophy was similar to that of Social Darwinism, which was underpinned by ideas of survival of the fittest. Community service programmes that were provided by the state were remodelled and reduced to establish another form of state called the contract state. These philosophies were seen as antithetical to community development, which are based on community need, and not individual self-advancement resulting in fragmented communities. The terrorist attacks on September 11 further shaped the international order and today we question if the state is still