The Challenges of Multiculturalism and Immigration
Multiculturalism is the ethnic and cultural diversity that exists within a certain area. Different countries display various forms of multiculturalism. The most common form of multiculturalism is whereby a citizen of a certain country is born overseas, or of the parents of the individual is born overseas. English speaking countries have a lot of multiculturalism in them. Just like the United Kingdom, Australia has adopted multiculturalism as a national identity. My essay explores how Australia appreciates and accepts many different ethnicities and cultures.
The multicultural society in Australia has been shaped by different events. The production of the Snowy Mountain Scheme is one of the events that led to multiculturalism. The phenomenal project brought people of different cultures and races to work together and led to the growth and development of multiculturalism. This multiculturalism had a major effect in Australia, as it provided acceptable engineering and scientific knowledge and skills that led to the completion of the system. This also led to the recruitment of immigrants from other countries with the skills that were required.
Australia demonstrates the ability to absorb and take advantage of different cultures just like the United Kingdom. In the 1950s, Australia experienced a major multicultural breakthrough. This was through the Gold Rush. A huge number of migrants and immigrants were brought together in Australia. This brought a major challenge as it led to unsettlement in the gold fields. This was a good lesson for the Australians as they learnt that people with different cultural backgrounds can stay together.
In Sydney, the development of a multicultural environm...
... middle of paper ...
...ntolerance. Other factors that continue to shadow multiculturalism include racism, prejudice and social inequality. This has caused concern in the government as this is a major threat to Australia’s stride towards achieving full multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism has enabled the Australian society to underline the importance of higher values in life and idealism. It is caused by desire for a perfect social existence of the multicultural society in Australia.
In conclusion, Australia is one of the English speaking countries that have successfully attained a multicultural society. This has led to attraction of visitors to the nation who would like to experience a multicultural environment. It is very positive to the economy as it encourages cultural tourism. Multiculturalism in Australia has contributed to the progress of the whole society like in the United Kingdom.
In Canada, they have a policy on multiculturalism which reflects racial and cultural diversity in their society. Through this policy, their government was able to acknowledge the freedom of every individual in their society, allowing everyone to preserve, share or even enhance his or her
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.
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy provides an insight into 1960s/70s Australia and helps reinforce common conceptions about Australian culture. One common conception Goldsworthy reinforces in this text is Australia’s increasing acceptance of multiculturalism. Maestro, set in the 1960s to 1970s, shows Australians growing more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. This shift in perspective was occurring near the end of the White Australia/Assimilation Policy, which was phased out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. An example of this shifted perspective in Maestro is Paul’s father’s opinion about living in Darwin:
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.
Thus, this creates connotations to patriotism and pride towards the country the reader lives in. Coupled with the large image of Australia filled with smaller images of people of all ages, and race, sporting the Australian flag, influences the reader to enter the article with a positive attitude towards Australia Day, as it seems to put this day in high esteem, which consequently convinces the audience, before even commencing to read, that the day is about ‘unity’ and not division. The smaller images of a non-traditional and traditional stereotypical Australian prove that race play no part in this celebratory day, creating the sense of Australia being an accepting
Reynolds, H. (2005). Nowhere People: How international race thinking shaped Australia’s identity. Australia: Penguin Group
“Multiculturalism” entered public speech in the late 1960s and early 1970s in Canada that focused on unique cultural diversity, nationalities, and ethnicity across the nation. Multiculturalism and Immigration are important factors in the development of Canada to attain a strong multicultural example of economic stability, social and political growth which leads to the emergence of Canada’s identity and culture.
Multiculturalism, Evidence: Describe commonalities with and experiences of peoples having different cultural norms and histories.
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.
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
Since the British settled in Australia, Indigenous Australians have had cultural conflict. The Europeans believed that Aboriginal people were lower than the settlers and that their culture was more primitive to the culture of the British settlers. An example of this is how the Aboriginal people had a very strong spiritual connection to the land. Land could not be owned by a single person but had to be looked after by all of the community. When British settlers saw that the land had no fences they took the land for themselves to be used for farming. Many Aboriginals were losing their land. It made it worse when the Aboriginal believed that to make it fair the Europeans shared their products made from the farm. The Aboriginals then took food from the farm without consulting the British which resulted in violent conflicts between the two. Over time the government began to give the Aboriginals more rights, although still not many. They were given a certain amount of land but were not allowed to leave without permission.
... of Australian culture when the fact that those white European colonists came from England. In those racist bad jokes, Australia is always seen as a country with culture and history of convicts and criminals deported from England. Together with the issues, the wave of immigration is creating a so-called multicultural, makes it even harder to define what will be the real culture of Australia: the aborigines, the English or the immigrants.
...embrace their history. They are very laid back people and stop at nothing to have a good time. Australia n families are small but that keeps them very close, they are always out and about with their families sharing those special experiences together. Australia is a unique society where they accept anyone and adapt their society to help those who are not from there.
The multiplicity of cultures has played a significant role in defining Australia’s identity. In order to understand the problematic nature of the application of multiculturalism in Australia, it is imperative to observe and analyze two claims of the concept of multiculturalism. The first claim of the concept of multiculturalism is associated with identity, while the second claim is associated with recognition. At this juncture, it is important to pose the following question; how is the application of multiculturalism affected by identity and recognition within Australia’s diverse