One might ask how is Australia Day, January 26th, an issue? To the broader community it is just another public holiday. However, for Aboriginal Australians the celebration of Australia Day is a continuation of the colonialism which saw the slaughter and dispossession of Australia’s first inhabitants. The 26th of January has been described as Invasion Day or Survival Day by Aboriginal Australians as it commemorates the loss experienced by Aboriginal people, this being the loss of rights, culture and lives. It is also an issue for other non-white Australians as it has been used to reinforce what being “Australian” is, which is often a singular cultural identity, not the multicultural nation which it is.
Viewing Australia Day from a functionalist
…show more content…
approach as described by Abercrombie, Hill & Turner (2000) it can be described as a social activity which contributes to the maintenance and stability of the social systems at work in Australia.
As we are looking at Australia Day as an issue we could determine that it is maintaining the stability of racist policy which works as functionalism does not require that social activities have positive functions. Functionalist theories as discussed by Boisson de Chazournes (2015) work in the discussion of Australia Day as they are most commonly analysed from an outsider’s perspective, in this case non-white Australians, and focuses upon the exploration of restraints which have been caused by functionalism. Australia Day could be seen as a by-product of colonial Australia which seeks to indoctrinate people into being what the white majority consider “Australian”. We can look at how Australia Day has been promoted in previous years to see evidence of how it has been used as a way in which the “Australian” culture is viewed from the perspective of one group over the others. Look to companies which have a large presence within Australia which have promoted and sold shirts with slogans such as “love it or leave it” which was available in Woolworths, or “Australia, est.1788” which was available in Aldi and both shirts being available at Big W (Anderson, 2014 a, Anderson, 2014 b, Young, 2014). This term of being “Australian” is put forth year after year by advertisements which promote eating …show more content…
lamb, which this year, 2017, tried to take a tongue in cheek approach to multiculturalism. This attempted multicultural approach was immediately targeted as being “racist against white people” and “too politically correct” (Schipp, 2017). This was also the case when this year, 2017, Australia Day was advertised using two young girls wearing hijabs, again this was immediately targeted as being “too politically correct”, and disregarded as “not a true reflection of Australia Day” with white Australians claiming that “we are losing our culture” (McPhee, 2017). This functional idea is that there is something which is “Australian” that can be defined in a single cultural experience, a white Australian experience. So, what is the capacity for functionalism to deliver change for non-white Australians?
One would think it would be extremely limited in that it is working to reinforce a consensus view on what society and culture are, with the other being different and against functional society. This could be purposeful from the functionalist perspective as the government uses this conflict with “the other” to further their political aspirations with slogans such as “stop the boats”. This creates a necessary conflict which proliferates the hegemonic white Australian ideal. However, if we look at functionalism from the perspective of outsiders it is possible to begin unravelling the barriers which functional thought have placed upon society. This could work well in Australia as a multicultural nation which has people from various other cultural groups congregating in one broader society. If we were to examine and analyse how the functioning of each groups culture evolved and what social systems are at play we could use this information to inform policy changes which aggregates all cultures and creates a truly representative Australia Day. Looking from a truly functionalist viewpoint one would also agree with changing the date of Australia Day from January 26th to allow healing of emotional wounds for Indigenous Australians and promote stability for the broader societal system. In this case functionalism, would argue that multiculturalism is necessary as it promotes the most acceptable
version of a stable society.
The 2014 Walkley Award winning documentary, "Cronulla Riots: the day that shocked the nation" reveals to us a whole new side of Aussie culture. No more she’ll be right, no more fair go and sadly no more fair dinkum. The doco proved to all of us (or is it just me?) that the Australian identity isn’t really what we believe it to be. After viewing this documentary
There is a reference to our multiculturalism in the lines ‘All cultures together as one. Yet, individual until the game is won’. These lines acknowledge the fact that even though Australia is an increasingly Multicultural society, all Australians, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, share the same values, principles and national identity.
stage for the development of Australian cultural identity and the values, attitudes and beliefs of
Over the years Australia has had many different problems with racism and racism affecting peoples’ lives. Many racial groups have been affected, most significantly the Aboriginals. The end of world war two in 1945 marked a huge change in types of racism. Australia went from the ‘superior’ white Australians dominating over immigrants and aboriginals. To a relatively multicultural and accepting society that is present today.
It is well known that Captain Arthur Philips landed in Australia on 26th of January and took over the land and is referred to as “invasion Day”. Yet little do people know, Captain Arthur Phillip didn’t land in Australia on 26 January. He first landed in Australia between the 18th and 20th of January 1788 in Botany Bay, however where he landed he couldn’t find fresh water so he then sailed into Sydney Cove on the 26th where he found a Tank Stream…..problem solved. Australia day today celebrates our diverse society, our remarkable achievements, our future as a nation and how we can make Australia a better
The Australian Government has made many changes over the years to promote the memory of ANZAC Day. In regards to education, ¬¬¬programs included in schools were put in place whilst society’s view of ANZAC Day has also changed due to an emphasis in the community and wider media . Around 420,
However, what the Turnball supporters fail to recognise is that the days motives cannot be effectively celebrated by our first inhabitants on a date that coincides with pure heart ache. Hence, we need a day that still embodies these motives, however falls on a date that is also connected to this sense of unity we all desire. The first suggestion is a date that has recently appeared in the news, wattle day. The golden wattle is a symbol that has welcomed all of us over its 30 million year history, and also carries the colours that we have effectively branded as our own…the green and gold. Hence, wattle day can effectively celebrate our land, our people and of course our nation, therefore solving the conflict and sadness that surrounds our current date. Another alternative could be federation day, the day that our 6 British self-governing colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Maybe even the day that the White Australia Policy was created….a day that abolished all forms of racism in our country and also embraced diversity. Finally, the day that the Australia Act was formed, a day that terminated the British control of Australian legislature. It is true, as some argue, alternative dates will have their faults and draw criticism, however that is no reason not to consider new dates. Whatever criticism there is of the alternatives they will not attract the criticism of being based on race. The difference between these days and our current date is not in the values they celebrate, but rather the context of the values. The 26th of January is a date that coincides with the beginning of Aboriginal mistreatment, an embarrassing day for us as a nation. These supposed dates all celebrate events that have a positive connotation with our country and all of our
Australia is a relatively young country; only becoming a unified nation in 1901 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2012). A young country is no different from a young person; identity is an issue. Questions of who am I and where do I fit in the world are asked, and unfortunately not often answered until a tragedy occurs. National identity is a sense of a nation and its people as a connected whole. This feeling of cohesiveness can be shaped by many events in a nation’s history but none more so than war. War is a stressful, traumatic affair that changes forever, not only the people that go to it but the nation as a whole. Many consider the Great War Australia’s tragedy where we became a nation (Bollard, 2013) with our own modern identity.
...at these several events in our nation’s history have demoralised our reputation to other countries globally. To make us known as a better country to other nations, we’ve completely abolished the White Australia Policy, gave back the aborigines their freedoms and we were also the first country in the world to give women rights. Australia today in present day is now one of the most multicultural societies on Earth, and we definitely follow our values of mateship, acceptance and freedom.
After the release of Rabbit Proof Fence, many `politically right' white Australians tried to promote that the film was based on myth and misunderstanding but in facet is not as the film itself promotes the openness of racism. Racism was not only a problem is Australia but throughout the world and is continuing to stay a problem, even in our own backyard. The racism between the white Australians and the Aborigines is quite similar to the racism shown in schools and even in parliament here in New Zealand between the Maori and Europeans, or once again between the `white' and the `black'.
Reynolds, H. (2005). Nowhere People: How international race thinking shaped Australia’s identity. Australia: Penguin Group
...rial covered in the unit Aboriginal People that I have been studying at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle, Aboriginal people have had a long history of being subjected to dispossession and discriminatory acts that has been keep quite for too long. By standing together we are far more likely to achieve long lasting positive outcomes and a better future for all Australians.
Since the time of federation the Aboriginal people have been fighting for their rights through protests, strikes and the notorious ‘day of mourning’. However, over the last century the Australian federal government has generated policies which manage and restrained that of the Aboriginal people’s rights, citizenships and general protection. The Australian government policy that has had the most significant impact on indigenous Australians is the assimilation policy. The reasons behind this include the influences that the stolen generation has had on the indigenous Australians, their relegated rights and their entitlement to vote and the impact that the policy has had on the indigenous people of Australia.
Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.
Key events in Aboriginal Australian history stem from the time Australia was first discovered in 1788. For instance, when Federation came into existence in 1901, there was a prevailing belief held by non Aboriginal Australians that the Aborigines were a dying race (Nichol, 2005:259) which resulted in the Indigenous people being excluded from the constitution except for two mentions – Section 127 excluded Aborigines from the census and Section 51, part 26, which gave power over Aborigines to the States rather than to the Federal Government. Aboriginal people were officially excluded from the vote, public service, the Armed Forces and pensions. The White Australia mentality/policy Australia as “White” and unfortunately this policy was not abolished until 1972. REFERENCE