Multiculturalism in Australia: emerging refugee communities

Settlement of refugees in Australia frequently evokes emotion and controversy in the context of nationalism, identity, power and politics. In Australia, the transformation of Australian national identity from Anglo- Celtic to multicultural has been uneven, complex and contested with multiculturalism even being criticized for encouraging ethnic enclaves. Some perceive refugee settlement as threatening social cohesion and posing a national security risk in the post September 11 climate. The paper analyses the successes and challenges of multiculturalism in Australia as applied to the refugee experience. Refugees face social and cultural challenges in their country of settlement as they often come from regions with significant socioeconomic disparities with Australia. Despite initial barriers faced by refugees, many have positive resettlement experiences and have made major contributions to Australian society and multiculturalism. Acceptance of refugees is however, conditional and the degree of acceptance varies over time depending on a number of factors. These include global and local events and media representations. A case study will be presented of Afghan refugees who arrived in Australia by boat as asylum seekers. Historically, the greatest fear against new arrivals in Australia has been symbolized by ‘the boat’ including earlier waves of refugees from Indo-China. Like these earlier groups the Afghan asylum seekers have also had to struggle for acceptance. How multiculturalism is interpreted for the Afghan community remains a question of debate. Newer theoretical considerations suggest that the concept of multiculturalism is now shifting towards one of ‘productive diversity’. The Afghan settlement experience in Australia is illuminating as it is a two-staged process. Firstly they are mandatorily detained in detention centers, particularly remote Christmas Island, and the next stage is relocation to a mainland city or town. At both stages Afghans have received a welcome by community members who value multicultural ideals. In a globalized era where issues of national borders, national sovereignty and security are to the forefront in many countries, the paper explores how the Australian refugee settlement navigates the complex international and national context