Sri Lankans in Melbourne : factors influencing patterns of ethnicity

This study examines ethnic relations among Sri Lankan immigrants in Melbourne. It argues that though ethnicity is an ideology, the relationship between ethnic phenomena and social structural relations is not a deterministic one. There is an interdependency between the two so ethnic phenomena must be explained by examining the interaction between ideology and social structure . This interactive relationship is explained by examining patterns of ethnicity among Sri Lankans in Melbourne. Two patterns of ethnicities among Sri Lankans are examined in the study. They are the home country ethnic identification s and the new 'Sri Lankan' identity that is being formed in the Australian context . This study explains these two by examining the influence of factors related to both home society and host society on Sri Lankans in Melbourne