Just what do we mean by “multicultural”? Who is part of multicultural Australia and who is not?
We are told by our leaders that Australia is a multicultural society but is it? I would define that as a society where there are many different communities all of which ae more or less equal. But consider the speech given recently by Prime Minister Morrison to a Greek gathering: ‘
“This year has asked a great deal of our multicultural communities. You’ve all been called on to make some very big sacrifices. Especially when it comes to the social networks that bind you. And your community and cultural activities, that reach out and bring joy to so many Australians. You’ve all played a part, you’ve done whatever it takes, to keep each other safe. That’s also meant enduring enormous disruption to your all-important faith traditions. Your perseverance and sacrifices underscore why Australia is the most successful multicultural nation in the world. A place where we all buy in and draw strength from our shared values – such as mutual respect and individual responsibility. By your efforts, you have helped the country that you have adopted – and that we all love – to lead the world in our response to pandemic.”
He continues in this vein. Many other examples can be found of this approach from politicians and in the media. For example, I read a newspaper comment recently that Bankstown was a very multicultural area. Clearly people who are not part of what we might call the British diaspora are multicultural. Is this just a polite word for wogs or is there some other meaning to it? Are our indigenous people part of the multicultural communities? How about the Morris dancers and the bagpipers?
Then there is the thorny question of what is the Australian identity and what are the much praised Australian values? Are these a kind of Socratic ideal to which multicultural communities must aspire?
How does a multicultural community differ from other communities? If you analyse the English language therein, it would seem that a multicultural community is one that contains more than one community within it otherwise it is not multi. Benedict Anderson wrote a very insightful book about Imagined Communities in which he argued basically that nations and communities were created by a group of people who imagined themselves as being a group with a common identity. So the multicultural communities are not seen as part of the mainstream community in Australia? Their duty is to adopt core Australian values which are presumably the imagined values of the non-multicultural community. Or are we all multicultural.
It is all too much on my brain at Christmas. I suppose the Romans saw the Jews and others as part of the multicultural communities? It was after all a multicultural Empire.
I wish you all a Joyous Solstice, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah and please honour the birthday of the Rasul Allah Jesus, peace be upon him, and pax vobiscum to all whatever their culture..
Cavan Hogue is a former diplomat who has worked in Asia, Europe and the Americas as well as at the UN. He was Australian Ambassador to USSR and Russia, dually accredited to Ukraine. He also worked at ANU and Macquarie universities.
Comments
2 responses to “Multicultural Australia?”
This is obviously a huge issue which can’t be fully explicated in a single article. But I remember when I came to this country in 1978, a friend said to me “this would be a great country if it weren’t for all the wogs”. I replied that it was a huge attraction to me, coming from a more monocultural society. Over the next 20 years Australia pretty much embraced the idea of multiculturalism, to its huge benefit. Of course not every culture is equal – that is utterly unrealistic anywhere – mostly because of numbers and tradition. But every culture can retain its links to its former home, and worship and act with a high degree of freedom. Despite continuing racism, I think most Australians are pretty accepting, and I say congratulations.
A multicultural country (most are) is like a multinational world. Acknowledging its multiplicity does not say anything about conflict between groups or its resolution. If there is to be an embracing world culture (one that promotes cooperation and prevents conflict), what possible cultural practices can they all have in common? What practices are not common to all, but do and do not give rise to conflict?
A practice they all have in common is belief based on evidence: science. Some cultures promote science more strongly than others, but none survive without a tradition of acting on evidence. Even when countries have been at war (notably Britain and France) their scientists have maintained friendly contact. The Arts vary greatly between different cultures, but rather than leading to conflict they can enrich each other.
Punitive cultural practices are a different matter. Differences in these produce inter-cultural conflict as members of the one punitive tradition attempt to punish those of another. Any member of another culture migrating to Australia must accept Australia’s punitive traditions, which are firmly in the hands of the Anglo-culture. It is no coincidence that the country with the highest rate of imprisonment is also the most hostile to countries with different punitive practices. It attempts to punish any difference at all, positive or negative, with the support of its people. The US attempts, and often succeeds in punishing citizens of other countries for breaking US laws. In the name of human rights, the US punishes administrators in other countries who enforce laws that are not on its books. The arrogance of the Anglo-culture, especially the US version, is the greatest danger to world peace. A fundamental principle of peaceful globalism, enunciated by China, is non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs.