Constructing inclusive education in a neo-liberal context: promoting inclusion of Arab-Australian students in an Australian context.

School systems are a major social change agent capable of challenging social inequalities and economic disadvantages. Yet, while schools in Australia are being confronted with increasingly culturally diverse populations as well as an increasing focus on student retention, this transformative role is increasingly being played out in a broader educational context that has been found to replicate rather than challenge patterns of social inequality. Successive governments in Australia have responded to this context with a raft of policy initiatives. This paper, based on three-year longitudinal research undertaken in the city of Melbourne, outlines this policy context and introduces the theoretical approach that underpins its innovative approach to managing cultural diversity in educational institutions. It argues for, and presents, a multidimensional model for managing cultural diversity in schools, one that provides the tools for transformative practices to be undertaken to effect positive change in school environments for the benefit of all students

Intercultural harmony and understanding in the city of Whittlesea

The City of Whittlesea is one of the most ethnically diverse urban areas in Melbourne that attracts settlers, often humanitarian migrants from countries in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. With settlers arriving from a broader range of countries than ever before, increasing ethnic as well as ethno-religious diversity presents opportunities for local government to address intercultural harmony and understanding but also significant challenges. This paper reports the findings of fieldwork conducted in 2009 among residents focusing on attitudes towards ethnic diversity and evaluations of the capacity of local government to promote intercultural harmony and understanding. The results suggest that if local government is to be inclusive and gain the confidence and trust of residents necessary to foster empowering partnerships, political spaces that facilitate interactions between long-term residents, new residents, elected leaders and council officers must be facilitated. Such initiatives will contribute to strengthening programs and policies being developed by local government that aim to address discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities and encourage greater acceptance of cultural diversity among the broader community in ways that move beyond measurable outcomes

Citizenship, identity and belonging in contemporary Australia

In response to recent events, Australian scholars examine the prospects of conflict and cooperation between the Muslim world and the West and the future of Muslim communities in Australia. The essays fall into three thematic sections: the broad international context, with reference to the repercussions of the war in Iraq and the initiatives launched by Muslims, namely the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the current discourse among radical Islamic groups about prospects of &quot;conflict&quot; between the Muslim world and the West; the implications of growing Islamic agitation and the heightened sense of insecurity for Muslim states in South and Southeast Asia; the challenges faced by Muslim communities in Australia and implications for interethnic relations and asylum-seekers.<br /

The legacy of Australia\u27s treatment of onshore asylum seekers

The Australian government\u27s response to the \u27unlawful\u27 arrival of asylum seekers has been characterised by a host of draconian measures - most notably mandatory detention and a punitive \u27temporary protection visa\u27 with severely limited access to settlement services. This hard stance was seen as important in stemming the tide of \u27illegal\u27 asylum seekers - most of whom seek protection in Australia from their war-torn countries in the Middle East. However, the government\u27s own statistics suggest that this strategy is not working, as the number of asylum seekers has not decreased since these tough measures were adopted in October 1999. Moreover, as this study [2] argues, the restricted access to social services and income support imposed on TPV holders is causing significant economic hardships and unnecessarily traumatic settlement experiences. Many non-government agencies (most notably community organizations and ethnic associations) are left with the daunting challenge of meeting both practical and special needs of traumatized refugees. <br /

Multicultural education and racism: the case of Arab-Australian students in contemporary Australia

This paper discusses the social and cultural dimensions of the educational experiences of Arab-Australian students. It seeks to explore the cultural attitudes and the social experiences of Arab-Australian secondary school students from two schools situated in Melbourne\u27s northern region. The paper seeks to examine how Arab-Australian students and their families understand and construct their own social and educational experiences in relation to schools\u27 initiatives as well as wider social discourses. The empirical findings presented in this paper suggest that there are critical links between Arab-Australian students\u27 perceptions of belonging, identity and citizenship on the one hand, and their attitudes to schooling and educational experiences on the other. The study\u27s findings show the need for current patterns of multicultural education research and practice to incorporate more systematically socio-political dynamics beyond the confines of school and family factors. <br /