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Effects of assimilation policy in present day australia
Importance of promoting cultural diversity
Importance of promoting cultural diversity
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Growing up in Australia I have formulated my own opinions over time, by revisiting these thoughts in my lectures I have come to the conclusion that there is a fundamental idea between traditionalists that immigrants coming to Australia should assimilate to our culture and furthermore that Australia should be a monocultural thinking society. My opinion is that this is a major cultural constraint. The idea of monoculture is outdated we live in a globalised post-modern society, which is largely influenced by multiculturalism. I think that by depriving ourselves of experiencing diversity we miss out on the cultural freedoms to gain knowledge and to share beliefs and values. We also miss the added benefits of exposure to great food, music and
Australia is a widely diverse and unique nation. From extensive exposed spaces in boiling arid conditions to the dense urban population of the capital cities, our nation has grown into a unique and multicultural country. There are countless features that create Australian culture and identity.
stage for the development of Australian cultural identity and the values, attitudes and beliefs of
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy provides an insight into 1960s/70s Australia and helps reinforce common conceptions about Australian culture. One common conception Goldsworthy reinforces in this text is Australia’s increasing acceptance of multiculturalism. Maestro, set in the 1960s to 1970s, shows Australians growing more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. This shift in perspective was occurring near the end of the White Australia/Assimilation Policy, which was phased out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. An example of this shifted perspective in Maestro is Paul’s father’s opinion about living in Darwin:
The National Multicultural Advisory Council, chair Neville Roach is a firm believer in continued immigration: “Australia is a multicultural society, he said. Our cultural diversity has been a strength and an asset in our development as a nation.”
In the United States, there are a vast majority of ethnicities and races, which is why we are oftentimes recognized as “the melting pot”. Because of this, it may seem difficult to keep ethnic groups completely separate because there are interactions between different races every single day, even though some might not even be aware of it. Some people, especially ones from older generations, see this as an abomination because they feel that races must be kept pure and also feel that assimilation diminishes the uniqueness of one’s ethnic identity. However, would it not make a person more unique to be part of multiple cultures? According to an article aptly titled “Black? White? Asian? More Young Americans Choose All of the Above” by Susan Saulny, it is revealed that “Multiracial and multiethnic Americans are one of the country’s fastest-growing demographic groups” (NYtimes.com). Because 1 in 7 new marriages are interracial, the number of mixed race people is just going to keep increasing. With the way this is going, there could be very few people in the United States who identify with strictly one ethnic group or race. In a way, everyone is going to be the same (mixed race) but in different combinations, which would still make us all individuals. When this happens, America will be more unified and will be less full of prejudice as it always has seemed to be towards certain races.
Assimilation caused a drastic change to aboriginal lives. In the beginning half of the twentieth century, up until the 1960’s, the Government of Australia wanted to create a single, white Australian culture. They sought to do this through assimilation policies, which had disturbing effects on the Indigenous communities. This essay examines the policies of Aboriginal assimilation between 1930 and 1960, and highlights the changes that these policies had on Aboriginal lives. These policies were supported by racist conventions and settler nationalist laws. One of the constant motivations for assimilation back in the first half of the twentieth century came from the nationalist message of white Australia. The way this essay will tackle this question
Socialization is the human process of learning to become a member of our society, and how each individual learns to fit into a group (Jureidini & Poole, 2003, p123). Jean Piaget (1896-1980) a Swiss psychologist described childhood and development in terms of distinct psychological stages and how these stages influence socialization and enculturation (see Jureidini & Poole, 2003, pp124 ¡V 127). Other important theorists to look at are George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934).
Ever since the 1970s, Australia has become a multicultural nation. Australia’s multiculturalism is a way to explain the variety of ethnic backgrounds within the Australian people. “It implies that there are many ways of being Australian, not just one ‘Australian way of life’” (Carter 333). Multiculturalism has majorly changed the way that people view Australian history and identity.
The concept of being a ‘nation of immigrants’ is at the center of Australian identity.
There can be no gainsaying, as to the fact that Australia is not only a choice destination for many, but also houses some of the most beautiful cities in the world (Bastian, 2012). As a matter of fact, Bastian (2012) continues to state that this change is strongly attributed to immigration, which continues to foster strong cultural and economic growth in Australia. As Australia continues to open its borders to an increasingly diverse population, Australians themselves continue to open their minds to accommodate diversity in the form of new lifestyles, foods, traditions, values, beliefs and so forth (Bastian, 2012). According to Henry & Kurzak (2013), the 2011 census show that 26% of Australians were born abroad and 20% have either one or both
In the world, Australia has a special status. This status is difficult to convey on the grounds that on the one side, Australia needs to regard the human rights and on the other side, it needs to control the movement. A century back, Australia began to frame its own particular government. Thus, the Australia, out of nine unique states and regions got to be one country. Nevertheless, this country needed to figure out how to get on well with the Aboriginal people, which ended up being an incredible issue for the whites. The youthful recently shaped government chose to adapt the blended blooded children into their new and free country, not realizing that this would be the start of the Stolen Generations and would separate the nation into half
Multiculturalism is the ethnic and cultural diversity that exists within a certain area. Different countries display various forms of multiculturalism. The most common form of multiculturalism is whereby a citizen of a certain country is born overseas, or of the parents of the individual is born overseas. English speaking countries have a lot of multiculturalism in them. Just like the United Kingdom, Australia has adopted multiculturalism as a national identity. My essay explores how Australia appreciates and accepts many different ethnicities and cultures.
Growing up in Africa taught me to always reach for greater things in life. African parents always feel like their children should become doctor, lawyers, or engineers. I do not know if it is all because people in those fields make good money, or if they have other reasons to explain their thoughts. Maybe they just want their children to have a better future than they did. For me, choosing nursing was not difficult because both of my parents worked in the in the medical field.
It would be nice to allow people to adhere to their own styles, but doing that excludes them from the already existing nation’s practices. On the other hand, requiring immigrants to completely conform to society, will result in taking away all of their beliefs. According to Malik, “‘multicultural’ has come to define both a society that is particularly diverse, usually as a result of immigration, and the policies necessary to manage such a society” (22). With the immigration that European nations have faced, there is undoubtedly diverse culture present, but the policy aspect of that multicultural definition still needs to be redefined in order to create a balance between diversity and inclusion within
The world as a whole is becoming more diverse. There is diversity in schools and in the workplace. People should understand that diversity is what makes the world go around. If all people had the same characteristics then the world would be a very boring place. Even though all human beings are the same in some ways, we are still culturally different. Cultural diversity lets us appreciate our differences. Different cultural groups have varying beliefs, customs, values, and a wide variety of characteristics that make them special. Cultural influences make people see the world differently and cultural diversity should be appreciated.