Multiculturalism, Identity and Education

In Australia there is a vast and highly multicultural learning environment for tertiary students as many universities play host to international students. In the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday 30^th July 2012 an article “Repairing the Road to Oz” by Jen Rosenberg and Matt Wade holds discussion of the effects of racist attacks on Indian students in Australia in 2009 and 2010. There were highly influential repercussions on the reputation of Australian learning institution.  From this article, it becomes clear that there has been depreciation in the number of international students coming to Australia to study, fuelled by the fear of racism and intolerance. In the” Indian student bashings on the rise in Sydney: community leader” by Arjun Ramachandran 2009, Violent acts on international student have been occurring and in this month 20 of students have been bashed in racial disputes in a month, over a 100 in a year. 

                From these events it can be concluded that there is a high level of intolerance and racism expressed in some communities in Australia. This in turn means that a small population reflects badly upon the larger Australian culture and identity. One needs to consider is this “culture” of intolerance something which is reflected by the greater community; or merely is accentuated by small populations of passionately anti-multi-cultural groups. Comaroff, J. L. & Cormaroff, J. (2009) discuss how groups brand themselves as different, to make themselves stand out and accentuate themselves unique. This could have implications for the way in which Indian students are perceived by other Australian students, it could be seen as threatening to their “Australian culture”.

                Issues regarding culture and identity should be handled in a way which encourages understanding. With regards to education there must be a lapsed in Australian schools and communities to what is culture and identity, and the way it impacts on communities. Does this mean that in the Australian curriculum there should be a greater increase in education regarding different cultures? Or that this is an ingrained problem built into the socio-cultural constructs of our Australian identity to have a need to pick “who” belongs and whose values/beliefs we align to.

                Friction between different cultures is highlighted when an introduction of a new minority occurs. For example in the 1940-60’s, Italian’s immigrated to Australia. “Australian” groups isolated these communities due to their differing culture and identity to the typical Australian values. Again in the 1970-80’s Asian groups immigrated to Australia and were also met by hostility due to the inequalities in culture and identity. Therefore when considering the events regarding Indian tertiary students and the intolerance to them, Australian culture appears to have a deep need to isolate groups of different culture. Yet, being a multi-cultural society culture is broadened to accepting different beliefs and values even though at first it is hostile to change.

References

Rosenberg, J. & Wade, M. “Repairing the road back to Oz” (2012) Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/repairing-the-road-to-oz-20120729-2365d.html

Ramachandran, A. “Indian student bashings on the rise in Sydney: community leader” (2009) Sydney Morning Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/national/indian-student-bashings-on-the-rise-in-sydney-community-leader-20090529-bpxy.html

Comaroff, J. L. & Cormaroff, J. (2009). Ethnicity, Inc. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Chapter 3: Questions of theory.