Migration, cultural diversity and racism

Convened by: Jock Collins, Andrew Jakubowicz

As a result of immigration and its indigenous heritage, Australia is one of the most cosmopolitan societies in the world today. The resulting ethnic diversity of Australian cities, suburbs and towns creates both challenges and opportunities for the emergence of a civil cosmopolitan society based on social justice rather that social inequality and social inclusion rather than social exclusion.

Cosmopolitanism offers an important framework for investigating the interactions between elements that enable inclusivity and diversity. In recent years it has become abundantly clear that it is impossible to isolate or insulate one aspect or level of diversity from another. There are deep interconnections between, for instance, Australian multicultural policy 'at home', and its external policies such as those in relation to the so-called 'War on Terror'. Likewise, there are profound interconnections between social and civil rights and inter-communal relations, and between indigenous status and the different dimensions of citizenship. A CCS-initiated conference, the 4Rs: Rights, Respect, Reconciliation, Responsibility, explores exactly these themes in terms of the 'interaction between human rights, Indigenous advancement, inter-communal relations, and active citizenship'.

In a range of research projects centred on these themes we use an interdisciplinary mode of inquiry, and seek to transform understandings by intervention, addressing constituencies, for example indigenous communities, and issues, such as ethnic diversity and racism in a multicultural context, where justice is seen to be overlooked.. The interaction between cultural division and social division is a particular concern, for instance with the first public lecture of 2008 devoted to analysing this question in the Canadian and Australian contexts.

CCS-initiated projects in this program:' The 4 Rs: Rights, Respect, Reconciliation, Responsibility', a major international conference, 30 Sept to 3 Oct 2008.