Cultural Identity is how we define and come
to understand different groups of people and individuals from around the world.
It is through the different flows of globalization (e.g physical, culture,
communication and economic) that countries are adapting and turning into what
we call a nation of diasporas. Australia is a great example of a country that
has been shaped into a nation of diasporas as we house one of the most
multicultural communities in the world with over a quarter of our population
(26%) being born overseas (Australian Census of Population 2011). As one of the
most culturally rich nations in the world Australia’s cultural identity is
difficult to define. In this extended blog post of my previous insert “Multiculturalism
and Australia” I will attempt discuss the effects the different flows of
globalization have on Australia and try to define what the countries true
cultural identity is.
As mentioned above I believe that Australia
is a great example of a nation of diasporas. The term diaspora is defined by
dictionary.com as “any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional
homeland” (dictionary.com 2012). So what does this mean for Australia? Does
being a nation of diasporas hold positive or negative implications?
When asked about being an Australian, the
first thing that comes to mind is the long hot summers, beaches, BBQ’s and the
outback. The Australian outback has been a prominent symbol of our countries
culture for generations. Our large outback environments have shaped much of our
countries agricultural and indigenous history. For example ancient tribes such
as the Wongi, Yamatiji and Noongar people have been living in the western
Australia for thousands of years and have helped shape and preserve the history
of aboriginals and the outback in their respective areas. Also due to the gold
rush era in the late 1800s many of Australians and in particular Western
Australia’s rural towns “began life as gold rush settlements” (Outback History
and Culture www.australiasgoldenoutback.com).
On top of this with 70% of Australia’s land being either arid or semi arid
(Desert Knowledge CRC Data project 2006) it is obvious to see why the outback
has such a large influence on Australian culture identity.
So is this truly how Australia’s cultural
identity can be described? Due to the flows of globalization and the
convergence of nations across the world Australia can be considered as a Nation
of diasporas. With what can be seen as an extremely large multi cultural
society, Australia “is one of the most diverse countries in the world” (ABS
2012). As the convergence of technologies and communications around the globe
continue to grow (e.g the internet) so does the interests of people to explore
the world and experience different cultures. According to immigration writer
Lindasy Wagner (8 Reasons why people migrate to Australia 2008) a few reasons
why people choose to migrate to Australia is because of our climate, our low
crime rate, education standards are high, broad religion demographics and an
excellent health care system. I believe that due to an increase in
globalization and convergence of technologies and communications through
mediums such as the Internet, that such information about countries can be
distributed with a click of a button. Increasing curiosity of people from
around the world and effectively increasing the depth of physical flows between
countries and cultures.
To further understand why Australia can be
considered as a nation of Diasporas we must look at some specific statistics in
regards to our population. According to the ABS (www.abs.gov.au
2011) the Australian Census of Population “revealed that over a quarter (26%)
of Australia’s population was born overseas and a further one fifth (20%) had
at least one overseas-born parent” (www.abs.gov.au
‘Cultural Diversity in Australia’).
So after looking at these figures it is
quite obvious that Australia is a nation of diasporas but does this mean that
our cultural identity is diminishing or eve being shaped into a larger, hybrid
culture. I was shocked to find that Australia indigenous population was only
2.5% (www.abs.gov.au ‘Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples’). With such a low number of indigenous people making
up our total population, is it possible that diasporas are having a negative impact
on Australians Indigenous inhabitants? Diasporas I believe are currently having
no impact on Australians indigenous inhabitants as there are strict
preservation and migration laws that people must now pass and consider to
become an Australia resident. In saying that although diasporas are not
currently having a negative impact on the Aboriginal people of Australia, they
did back in the days of Western Colonization. Interactive schooling website
Skwirk.com (2012) estimates that “Between 1788 and 1900, the Aboriginal
population was reduced by 90%”(www.skwirk.com.au
2012) as a result of “direct fighting with the coloniesers” from Europe. So it
is acceptable to say that centuries ago, yes diasporas heavily affected
Aboriginal populations in Australia and had a large impact on Australia’s
indigenous cultures.
“Diasporic movements and communities have
the potential for “surfacing” a range of new cultural and ethnic identities”
(Goh, R, Wong, S ‘Asian Diasporas, Cultures,
Identities, Representations’ p.15). This statement by Goh can be closely
related to the history of Australian colonization along with our current state
of cultural identity. As a Nation of diasporas Australia can evidently be
noticed as a country that has a large range of cultural identities ranging from
our now well preserved indigenous cultures to our now largely popular
multicultural society that accepts migrants from across the globe. It can be
acceptable to say that Australia is a country made up of not just one cultural
identity, but a range of identities. With a large range of diaspora communities
(e.g Chinese, Greek, Arabic, European) Australia accepts multiculturalism to
the highest of standards. An example of the way in which we provide for our
diaspora communities is through television broadcasting or more specifically,
narrowcasting. Narrow casting is a form of diaspora television that instead of
reaching out to the general public instead attempts to attract audiences of a
more specific demographic. Australian broadcast stations such as SBS and ABC
attempt to reach out to diaspora communities of Australia through international
programming. SBS is a main contributor to these efforts with daily news
programs from across the world such as Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Greek
news. These efforts of narrowcasting attempt to effectively persevere cultural
values that diaspora communities in Australia left behind in their home
countries. Also relating back to the convergence of communication and
technologies between countries, a medium such as the Internet is another way in
which diaspora communities in Australia and all around the world can keep up to
date with the latest information and new from their original homes. So as
narrowcasting and new technologies such as the Internet allows Australia’s
multicultural society to stay diverse, our true cultural identity of being
known as a country of large outback areas and long beautiful coastlines is
preserved. Australia is truly a nation of diasporas and a country which holds
many unique cultural identities.
References
Australian Bureau
of Statistics 2012, ‘2071.0 - Cultural Diversity in Australia, Reflecting a
Nation:Stories from the 2011 census, 2012/2013', Last updated 27th June 2012, Retrieved
August 17 2012. <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2071.0main+features902012-2013>
Australian Bureau
of Statistics 2012, '2075.0 – Census of Population and Housing - Counts of
Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Australians, 2011, 2011 Census Counts – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’, Last updated 22nd August 2012,
Retrieved August 17 2012. <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2075.0main+features32011>
Edwards,
R, Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012, ‘1301.1 – Year Book Australia 2009-10,
Feature Article 2: Australia’s Cultural
and Linguistic Diversity’, Retrieved October 4 2012, <http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article32009%E2%80%9310?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2009%9610&num=&view=>
Wagner,
L 2008, ‘8 Reasons Why People
Migrate to Australia’ Australian Immigration unit, December 3 2008, Retrieved
October 4 2012, < http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/8-reasons-why-people-migrate-to-australia-668625.html>
Red
Apple Education LTD, 2012, ‘Consequences of British Colonisation for Aboriginal
people’ Retrieved October 4 2012, < http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-17_u-504_t-1361_c-5239/consequences-of-british-colonisation-for-aboriginal-people/qld/consequences-of-british-colonisation-for-aboriginal-people/colonisation-resources-power-and-exploration/british-colonisation-of-australia>
Desert
Knowledge CRC 2006, ‘Desert Knowledge CRC Data Project, Resource material on
desert Australia, Last updated December 19 2006, Retrieved October 4 2012,
<www.cazr.csiro.au/connect/resources.htm>
Australian
Golden Outback 2012, ‘About the Golden Outback, Outback History and Culture’ Retrieved
October 4 2012 <www.Australiangoldenoutback.com/About_the_Golden_Outback/Outback_history_and_culture>
Mifflin,
H 2002, ‘Dictionary.com, Diaspora’,
retrieved October 4 2012, <www.dictionary.regerence.com/browse/diaspora?s=t>
