The Hanson Phenomenon

This paper seeks to explore the idea that intercultural sensitivity is not natural (Bennet, 1993, p.1) and that it requires a variety of influences such as education and exposure to other cultures to generate greater cultural sensitivity in a person. In Australia, it appears that a decade of political correctness and multiculturalism as a federal policy has only created a thin veneer of mainstream acceptance of cultural differences which have been swept away easily in times of economic and social unrest. My interest in this topic is derived from my experiences of growing up in Tasmania, from co-ordinating a Diploma of Interpreting course during my practicum and from the political phenomenon of Pauline Hanson and her One Nation Party