Refugees. Border protection. Ethnic gangs. Terrorism. History wars. Pauline Hanson. Australia's faith in multiculturalism has been shaken by fierce attacks from its enemies and a sense of crisis among its friends. Multiculturalism has become a political tool to win votes and generate community anxiety. What is left of the multicultural ideal? Bob Hodge and John O'Carroll take the pulse of multicultural Australia in the wake of September 11. They investigate the hot spots' of multiculturalism, showing how they cluster around fiercely defended boundaries and borders, both literal and symbolic. They tackle the issues of racism past and present, and show how injustice impacts on many communities in Australia, including Aboriginals as well as more recent migrant groups. The authors argue that despite appearances, multiculturalism is alive and well in Australia, and a commitment to tolerance and diversity characterises daily life. In fact, Australia's multiculture is the best kind of borderwork against terrorism, racism and injustice. A timely, original and optimistic discussion of Australia's multicultural past and our possible futures.' Graeme Turner, Director, Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies, University of Queensland This clearly written book shines a welcome light on the fog of critique of Australian multiculturalism from both the Right and the Left.' Jock Collins, Professor of Economics, University of Technology Sydney

Democratic political systems and the democratic way of life is aspired by most people around the world. Democracy is considered to be morally superior to other forms of political systems as it aspires to secure civil liberties, human rights, social justice and equality before the law for everyone regardless of their gender, culture, religion and national origin. Enshrined in democracy is separation of religion and state, fair and competitive elections of leaders according to a country’s constitution which in turn is based on democratic ideals. Democracy aspires for people of different backgrounds to live together with their differences intact, but all contributing towards a better life for all. In today’s increasingly pluralistic societies many people of different cultural and national backgrounds are brought together. Many have migrated from countries with autocratic political systems. Some with religions that require them to behave in different way, others with cultures teaching them values of harmony, collectivism and conformity as opposed to the culture of their host country emphasizing individualism and cherishing differences. Hence, in multicultural societies development of pluralistic democracy, a democracy which includes respect for diversity is essential. A truly multicultural education which is based on the assumption that different cultures will be equally represented in education goes a long way towards education for democratic citizenship. Such an education would make students aware of issues of human rights and justice and encourage them to define their own values and ways in which they could contribute to a better world. The aim of this volume is to provide a forum for discussion of how multiple social perspectives and personal values can be brought together on common grounds around matters related to democracy. Contributions from research, and scholarly theoretical work as well as presentation of existing creative models of democracy education will be included. Authors from the major democracies will comment on the models and practice of multicultural education in their respective countries, to facilitate discussion and learning from each others’ experiences.

This book offers a comprehensive and critical analysis of the tropes employed in the categorization of international students living and studying in Australia. Establishing the position of migrant students as ’subjects of the border’, the author employs various models of emotion in an analysis of the ways in which public debates on migration and education in Australia have problematised international students as an object of national compassion or resentment in relation to other national concerns at the time, such as the country’s place in the Asia-Pacific region, the integrity of its borders and the relative competitiveness of its economy. Applying an innovative methodology, which combines the breadth of a diachronic study with the depth afforded by the close analysis of a diverse range of case studies – including the protests staged by Indian international students against a spate of violent attacks, which led to their labelling as ‘soft targets’ in national discourses – Australia’s New Migrants constitutes an important contribution to our understanding of the ways in which emotions shape national collectives’ orientation towards others. As such, it will appeal to scholars of sociology, cultural studies and education with interests in migration, race and emotion.

Australian Sociology 4e provides a concise and current introduction to the field of Sociology, through an analysis of Australian society. In doing so, it draws on a diverse range of perspectives as well as a myriad of topics that go to issues at the core of Australian social life. Our ever-changing society presents continuing challenges to sociological analysis. This new edition of Australian Sociology sets out to document these many changes, while retaining an organised analysis required of an introductory overview of Australian society.

This book argues that in a globalising world in which nation-states have to manage population flows and intensifying cultural diversity within their borders, multicultural policy and approaches have never been more important. The author takes an extended case study approach, examining Australia’s experiments with pragmatic forms of multiculturalism and multicultural policy since the early 1970s up to the present. The Public Life of Australian Multiculturalism challenges some larger assumptions about multiculturalism – either that it undermines national identity or that it is, and should strive to be, a post-national approach to identity issues. Instead, it argues that framing multiculturalism by inclusive national identity has been the key to multiculturalism’s continuity and general success in Australia. The book also directly challenges the claim that we have entered a post-multicultural world, making a case instead for the continuing relevance of pragmatic approaches to multiculturalism. Students and scholars researching in sociology, politics, migration, multiculturalism, ethnic and racial studies, nationalism, and identity studies will find this study of interest.

What Was Multiculturalism? is a timely account of a socio-political theory that has featured in public debate in the West for the past forty years. The book is both a compendium as well as a critique of multicultural theory in its diverse forms; from the politics of recognition, consensus, tolerance and the need for an inclusive community, to questions about the moral order, the invasive force of religious absolutism and the spectres of racism, injustice and scapegoating. Through a series of critical reflections, Mishra offers a detached, honest, bold and uncompromised reading of some of the most influential texts on multiculturalism, with a view to establishing the historical moments in the field.

Exploring bilateral narratives of identity at a socio-discursive level from 1990 onwards, this book provides a new approach to understanding how Chile and Australia imagine and discursively construct each other in light of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement signed in 2008.