Public Attitudes Towards Multiculturalism and Interculturalism in Australia
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Public Attitudes Towards Multiculturalism and Interculturalism in Australia Amanuel Elias 1
& Fethi
Mansouri 1 & Reem Sweid 1
Accepted: 22 September 2020/ # The Author(s) 2020
Abstract The growing intellectual and policy debate around optimal approaches to diversity governance, particularly in relation to criticism of multiculturalism, is now entering a new phase characterised by advocating alternative conceptual and policy paradigms most notably interculturalism. Proposing a conceptual complementarity approach, rather than dogmatically oppositional stances, this paper approaches interculturalism as offering heuristic additive values to multiculturalism. As the paper shows, the Australian context indeed offers an optimal case study for conceptualising and engaging with interculturalism within an otherwise resilient multicultural framework. Australia’s unique and strong multicultural ethos has combined with successful intercultural strategies at different levels of diversity governance, policy and practice across various sectoral terrains. This paper uses an online national survey to examine the public understanding of and attitudes towards multiculturalism and interculturalism as supposedly distinct yet interconnected policy tools relating to the ever-changing diversity governance agenda. Keywords Multiculturalism . Interculturalism . Interculturaldialogue . Migration . Cultural
diversity . Australia
Introduction Australia is often invoked as a successful multicultural country with a long history of welcoming and settling migrants from all corners of the world (Ang and Stratton 1998; Colic-Peisker 2011; Mansouri 2015). Whereas Europe and North America are witnessing growing contestation regarding the efficacy of political multiculturalism, with critics proposing interculturalism as an * Amanuel Elias [email protected]
1
Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship & Globalisation, Deakin University, 221 Burwood HWY, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia
Elias A. et al.
alternative diversity governance approach, such a polarising and impassioned debate is not widely prevalent in Australia (Levey 2018a). Rather, multiculturalism has enjoyed and continues to enjoy support in public discourse, with intercultural initiatives being understood and accepted within the broader context of a multicultural framework (Koleth 2010; Liddicoat 2009). The distinction between the European and Australian perspectives on the multiculturalism/ interculturalism debate reflects the different socio-historical origins of multiculturalism in these continents. For example, multiculturalism in the UK is recognised mainly as a demographic fact; in Sweden ethnic diversity policy tends to be geared more towards interculturalism; whereas in France and Germany there are no official policies and ideologies proactively supporting and enacting multiculturalism (Banting and Kymlicka 2013). Owing to its unique immigration history, the evolution of official multiculturalism in Australia is, indeed, quite different from the British integrationist vers
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