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INSTITUTEOFSTRATEGICANDINTERNATIONALSTUDIES(ISIS)MALAYSIA
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IssueNo.6 June2013 PP5054/11/2012(031098)
ISIS International Affairs Forum
Australias MulticulturalIdentity in the Asian Century
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
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ABOUTISISMALAYSIA
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ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013 1
There are amillion differentways to talkabout the topic of AustraliasMulticultural Identity in the AsianCentury. I figured forthisaudience thebestway
to
start
that
conversation
would
be
to
start
in
the
17th
century in Europe. The reason I do that is
because it is useful to begin any discussion of
diversitywithinanation,andthewaythatnation
manages itsdiversity,by thinkingof the concept
of thenation itself,andnational identity.So that
takes us necessarily to 17th
century Europe and
thetreatiesofWestphalia.
This is really thebeginningof thenation
stateandthemythologythatsurroundsthenation
state.
And
in
spite
of
whatever
politicians
might
want to say, the nation state is a mythologized
fictionthatwekeepalivethroughthewaythatwe
talk about it, so I think its important to get an
understandingofwhatthatmythologyis.
In Westphalia, in what is now Germany,
whatbegantherewasan ideathatputanendto
the foreign affairs norm of imperialism, where
borders were temporary, where they were
constantly shifting in response to who could
conquer what territories, where nothing was
really fixed, andmost importantly, therewasno
fixednotionof sovereignty.And itwouldntbea
surprisetoanyone inthis room toknow thatthe
foreignpolicyapproach ledtoa lotofbloodshed,
andtoahugeamountofinstability.
So the idea formedeventually,aftera lot
of lives being lost at this particular point in
historyandweare talkingabout the intersection
oftheeightyyearswarandthehundredyearswar
that,maybe,thereisadifferentwayoforganizing
ourselvespolitically. So the conceptof inviolable
sovereigntywasbornatthatpoint.
It did not resolve in a nation state
immediatelybut the idea that is indispensable to
the creationof thenation statewasborn the
ideathatyouleaveusalone,weleaveyoualone,
andthatwewillhavefixedborderseventuallyand
thatwillbethat.And itworked.Theeightyyears
war and the hundred years war ended as the
resultof these seriesof treaties.And in time the
ideaofthenationstatecametobeborn.
Australias MulticulturalIdentity in the Asian Century
Mr.WaleedAlyisaLecturerinPolitics,SchoolofPoliticalandSocialInquiry,MonashUniversity,Australia.
HespokeatanISISInternationalAffairsForumonAustraliasMulticulturalIdentityintheAsianCentury,
on 30 April 2013. The Forum was moderated by ISIS Senior Director, Mr. Steven Wong. ISIS Focus
reproduceshistalk*here.
WaleedAly
*Thetalkhasbeeneditedforclarity
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2 ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013
But when you come up with a political
creationlikethis,inorderforittowork,whatyou
need is the mythology that makes it seem real.
Andhere
we
are
talking
about
17th
century
Europe the mythology that was constructed
wentsomethinglikethis:thateachnationstateis
afixedidentitythatreflectssomekindofrealityof
thepeoplethatarewithinit.
So every nation state has a kind of
inherent homogeneity about it. All the people
withinthatnationstateareinsomeessentialway
the same. And the nation state exhibits an
essentialdifference from theothernation states
thatsurround
it.
So
there
is
something
inherently
FrenchaboutFranceandthepeopleofFrancethat
is definitely not British. And there is something
inherently British (and I understand the
problematicnature aboutusing the termBritish)
about Britain that definitely is not German and
thatsdefinitelynotItalian.
Andthis isallperfectlyunderstandableas
the main generating foreign policy norm. But
exercising thatmythologywas problematic for a
coupleof
reasons:
one,
it
was
never
really
true
all these nation states had quite a high level of
diversitywithin,andtwo,thatdiversityneededto
bemanagedinonewayoranother.
When you are trying to create a
mythology on the back of the idea of a
homogenous population, one of the principal
waysinwhichyoudealwiththatdiversityistotry
tolimitit.Soregionallanguageswoulddieoutand
therewouldbeviolencewithinstates inorder to
createthat
homogeneity
and
we
saw
the
lingering
effectofthatinEuropewellintothe20th
century.
And Francos Spain is all about this. For
example (at least, according tomy lonely planet
travelguide), thewayyousaySpain inSpanish is
LasEspanols.
Its
plural
for
Spain
because
there
aresomanydifferentregions inSpainthatareso
different,andwithsuchlinguisticdiversity.Franco
wastryingveryhardtoundo thattoassertthe
idea of a single unproblematically unified,
homogenous Spain. This is the result of that
legacy.
Whenyoucreateanideaofanationstate,
and you create with it an accompanying
mythology that says everyonewithin thatnation
stateis
essentially
or
broadly
the
same,
and
everyone outside of that state is somehow
different,youhavetotryand identifythewaysin
whichthepeoplewithinthatnationstatearethe
same.
Andso inEurope, itstrangelycamedown
to understanding the nation state as an
embodiment of culture, ethnicity, language and
oftenreligion.Thatwas theEuropeanmodeland
itheldforaverylongtime.Andyoumightargueit
stillholds,
although
Europe
is
now
facing
areal
challengetothatbecauseofthelevelofmigration
thatisgoingintoEuropeandthediversityofthose
societies.
Andthat isoneway,andIwouldsaythat
isthedominantway,inwhichthenationstatehas
been constructed:onpillarsof cultural, linguistic
and sometimes religious homogeneity and if
nothomogeneity,thensomelimiteddifference.It
Soeverynationstatehasa
kindofinherent
homogeneityaboutit
ISIS International Affairs Forum
inEurope,itstrangelycame
down
to
understanding
the
nationstateasanembodiment
ofculture,ethnicity,language
andoftenreligion
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
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ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013 3
mightbeanationseenasbeinghalfCatholicand
half Protestant but that in itself is part of the
identityof thatnation. Sowhat Illdo is, Ill call
that
in
purely
descriptive
terms,
with
no
judgmentattachedto ittheoldworldnational
identity. Because that is what it is. It was a
productof thatoldworldthatemerged from the
Europeancircumstance.
There is however another way of
constructing a national identity, and here if you
wanttolookatthequintessentialexample,forthe
perfect, the most idealized example of that, at
least in theory,youwouldprobablyhave to look
nofurther
than
the
United
States.
WhatistheUnitedStates?Whatis itthat
defines an American? And here is the
understanding of the historical circumstances of
thecreationofthatnation.Thatitwasfoundedby
agroupofpeople fleeingreligiouspersecution in
Europe. They established their own nation, and
one of the key principles that they needed to
establish that nation on was the principle of
Australias Multicultural Identity in the Asian Centuryreligiousfreedom.Andfromthatemergedamuch
broader idea that is really thewhole ideaof the
UnitedStatestheideaofindividualliberty.
There is something very important about
constructing a nation that way that is different
fromconstructinganationthewaytheoldworld
did.Becauseonceyouuseasyourbeginningas
your starting point for the very idea of your
nation the concept of individual liberty, you
thenrun intotheproblemofdiversity.Youmust.
Because liberty carries with it implications of
peopledoingthingsthatyoumaynotlike,holding
positionsthatyoumaynotlike,havingvaluesthat
youmay
not
like,
and
having
cultural
attachments
thatyoumightfindstrange.
Andso,whattheUnitedStateshasended
upwith,really,fromitsverybeginningandthis
isnotjusta functionofmodern immigrationbut
reallyfromitsverybeginningisasocietythatis
quiteradically,plural.Ithadtobe,ithadnochoice
aboutthat.But italsoendedupwithan identity,
an American identity, that was not of the old
(Fromleft)RidwaanJadwat,WaleedAlyandStevenWong
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4 ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013
ISIS International Affairs Forum
world,because itwasnotculturalor linguisticor
evenreligious andIsaythatunderstandingthe
importance of religion in public discourse in
America.But
because
it
was
not
built
on
an
identitythatwascultural,itwasinsteadbuildinga
nationalidentityinasenseofitselfandinasense
ofAmericanessthatwascivic.
Sotosay,`IamAmerican,isacivicclaim;
itisnotaculturalclaim.Tosay,`IamGerman,has
foraverylongtimenotbeenacivicclaim.Itsnot
merelyaclaimaboutwhereyourtaxesgo,orwhat
yourpassport is;it istosayIamGermanic.There
are two very different ways of approaching
nationalidentity:
cultural
identity
as
away
of
constitutinganationandcivicidentityasawayof
constitutinganation.Theyareverydifferent.
But civic identity and civic national
identityreally issomethingthatcomesoutofthe
newworld. It isnotsomethingthattheoldworld
could have produced because as I mentioned
when Istarted in17th
century, thecircumstances
ofthatcreationwerevastlydifferent.Thesewere
notpeoplewhowerefleeingonepartoftheworld
for another, theywere not peoplewhowere in
searchof
aparticular
idea
or
aparticular
political
experience. The circumstances that gave rise to
theUnited Stateswere such that itwas in some
waysinevitableoratleastnotremotelysurprising
thatacivicidentitywouldbeborn.
With that in mind I want to think for a
momentaboutAustralia.What isAustralia?Orto
putitasoneratherunkindEnglishgrandmotherof
a friend of mine put it what is the point of
Australia?Whyhave it.Whatdoes itdo?Thatsa
veryEnglish
perspective,
Ishould
say.
And
of
course, as far as the English are concerned,
Australiahadaveryclearpoint,andthatwasthey
neededaprison. Itbeganasapenalcolony.Itdid
notbeginastheUnitedStatesbeganasapolitical
experimentorindeedas itcontinuesasapolitical
experiment. Those are not derogatory terms.
Those are termsofGeorgeWashington, andnot
meaning it in any kindofdisparagingway. Itdid
Participantsattheforum
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
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ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013 5
not begin as a project to realize some kind of
progressive political ideal in the case of the
United States, the idealwas of individual liberty
andthe
maximization
of
individual
liberty.
But nor did it begin as a nation with a
population that had been there for centuries,
culturally defined as a civilization that would
develop into anation state. Ithas an indigenous
populationthe indigenouspopulationthatwas
persecuted upon arrival of White settlement
but itwasan indigenouspopulationof incredible
diversity,and thatwasnot really recognizable to
Western eyes as any kind of organization that
wouldapproximate
anation
state.
It
simply
didnt
operatethatway.
Sowhat is it? Itwas something thatwas
created,asocietythatwascreatedmoreorlessas
amatterofpragmaticpolicymakingonthepartof
theBritish.Therewasdiversitywithin itfromthe
verystart.Thefirstfleetsthatarrived inAustralia
were more multicultural than is often
acknowledged, partly because the United
Kingdomwasmoremulticultural thanwas often
acknowledgedat
the
time.
But the main divisions within early
Australians were really to do to with class and
authority. Sometimes there were nationalistic
divides:thedowntroddentheIrishoftencalled
themselves thedowntroddenwith respect to the
English. And this was a major divide within
Australian society for a very long time the
CatholicProtestant division, the Irish and the
English it showed up atmajor flash points in
Australianpolitical
history
like
the
debate
over
conscriptionintheearly20th
century.
Australias Multicultural Identity in the Asian Century
Thisisnotanationthatwasfoundedona
particular idea,but it couldnt claim tobeof the
oldworldeither. Itwassoclearlyanewcreation
of some description, a new political creation.
Everyone
apart
from
the
indigenous
population
that was relatively small in number whether
theycamewillinglyorunwillingly,wasamigrant.
It isverymuchpartofthenewworld,but itvery
muchhasaBritishlineage.
Australia never declared war on Britain.
Sometimeswhenwe debatewhether or notwe
shouldbecomea republic, itwas something that
wasjokingly suggested, that perhaps we should
declarewaronBritainandthatwouldbeourway
todiscovering
our
independence.
But
we
have
never done that. We still have the Queen. We
votedtoretaintheQueen,althoughthatwasona
verytechnicallegalargumentintheend.
So the idea of Australia that originally
arosehadverymuchatitsheartthisideathatthis
isabrashnewyoungnation thathasall sortsof
possibilities.Andoneofthe ideasthatcamevery
clearlytodefineAustraliaearlyonwastheideaof
egalitarianism. Britain is a very class structured
society;Australia
was
not.
It
didnt
have
to
be.
So therewas a resistance to authority, a
kindof rejectionof the ideaof authority and an
understandingthatweareallequallydeservingof,
Isuppose,equaltreatment.Itwashoweveratthat
pointverymuchaWhitenationandthatwasstill
an important part of theway thatAustralia saw
itself. The phrase that is often used to describe
this is that Australia would seek to become a
Everyone..whetherthey
camewillinglyorunwillingly,
wasamigrant
Andoneoftheideasthat
camevery
clearly
to
define
Australiaearlyonwasthe
ideaofegalitarianism
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
8/16
Australiahasbecome,whether
bydesignornot,oneofthe
mosthyperpluralsocieties
anywhereintheworld
weresosignificantthattheysoradicallychanged
the composition of Australian society. Some of
them came as refugees a large number of
refugeescame
to
Australia
from
Vietnam
for
example. Some came as economicmigrants it
could have been people like my parents from
Egypt,couldhavebeenpeoplefromSouthAfrica,
whocametoAustraliaandactuallydidreallywell
because the Rand was very strong at that time
They bought a lot of property in Australia, and
those properties appreciated. But it was people
fromallovertheworld. Europeanmigrants,yesa
lot of them were, but not British migrants
necessarily.
Ahugewaveof Italianmigration through
the 70s and the 80s changed the complexion of
Australian society forever. And then a wave of
Asian migration through the 80s changed
Australian society again. And now waves of
migration from the Middle East and from Africa
arechangingitagain.
Itsnowuptoapointwherethemigration
intake into Australia is distinctly not European.
Australiahas
become,
whether
by
design
or
not,
oneofthemosthyperpluralsocietiesanywherein
the world. Only the United States, I would say,
really rivals it. The UK has a claim, London
certainly has a claim, but the rest of the UK, I
wouldargue,isnotpluralinquitethesamewayas
Australiais.
And that raisesanother realquestion for
Australia.Whatisit?Whatisitnow?Ifwewerent
exactlysurewhatitwasbefore,howcanwefigure
`White working mans paradise; labour rights
wouldbeprotected.
Andthis
was
avery
important
aspect
of
theideaofAustraliathatwasemerging,butitwas
definitelyWhite.Andwehadwhat is infamously
referred toas the `WhiteAustraliaPolicy,which
persistedon thebooks inAustralia right through
the 1970s, although it had clearly broken down
wellbefore that.Becausemyparentscame from
Egypt in the 1960s and didnt have any trouble
doing so. So someone either wasnt paying
attentionor itwason thebooks farmorethan it
wasinpractice.
But it was very much part of the
Australian consciousness in the first part of the
20thcentury.AsAustraliawent towaraspartof
theBritishempire inWorldWar I, itwenttowar
reallyasBritainasmuchasanything.WorldWarII
wasdifferentbecauseyouhadaparticularthreat
coming out of Europe, and Asia as well, in the
formoftheJapanese,butstill,theAustralianself
image was very much related to Britain. We
understood ourselves as a nation in relation to
Britain.The
way
the
British
saw
us
and
the
way
we
saw Britain was a very important aspect of our
ownselfimage.
In fact, if you go to Australia House in
London,youwillfinditisanamazinglyimpressive,
very unAustralianlooking building. It looks
incrediblyBritish.But its strategically located, so
that every single powerful person of the upper
middle classes in England,or in London at least,
will see it andwill notice thatAustralia is there.
Thiswas
part
of
the
aspiration
of
what
Australia
was it isverymuchtiednotjusttoEnglandor
BritainbutactuallytoLondonasacity.Youcould
not be an Australian Prime Minister, really,
withouthavingfondregardforLondonatthevery
least.
ButthensomethinghappenedinAustralia
thatchangeditfundamentally.Levelsofmigration
came intoAustralia from allover theworld that
6 ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013
ISIS International Affairs Forum
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9/16
out what it is today, when it is so radically
different from what it was? Well heres the
thing you do have a couple of things from
Australian history that continue to inform what
the Australian image should be. One of those
thingsis
that
it
is
inescapably
anew
nation.
A
nation foundedonmigration.Onceupona time,
thatmigrationwasWhite.NowitisfarlessWhite.
Eitherway,itisfoundedonimmigration.
Thepopulationgrowth inAustraliacomes
becauseof thehigh levelof immigration thatwe
have. We have an open market economy. We
embracedtheglobaleconomybackintheHawke
Keatingera,throughthe80sandthe90s,through
deregulation and the floating of the Australian
dollarand
so
on.
And
that
meant
that
we
became
verymuchanopenmarketplaceand thatmeant
migration economic migration as well as
humanitarianmigration.
Wehavealsoanethic Iwouldcall ita
mythology because its not always true, but it
almost doesntmatterwhether or not it is true,
because it is our imaginationof ourselveswe
haveanethicofegalitarianism.Itsanideathatin
AustraliagetsthrownaboutinaphraseIfindabit
grotesquebut
nonetheless
remains
apart
of
the
Australianethosof the fairgo.We like to think
that, whatever else, we are fair, and that,
ultimately,wedont really carewhere you come
from.Wemightcarewhatyoudowhenyougetto
Australia, and the contributions that you make,
butwedontreallycarewhereyoucamefrom.
Andhere IwouldsayAustraliahasavery
clearnewworldquality,moreakin to theUnited
States,thatisdifferentfromtheoldworldquality
ofEuropeandthatis,itsnotionofAustralianess
isevolvingmoreandmoretowardsacivicnation.
That today, to say that you are an Australian is
becomingmore
and
more
acivic
claim.
It
is
to
say
thatthestatewillregardyouasacitizenandthen
asknomorequestionsofwhoyouareonlyof
whatyoudo.Ifyouappearbeforethecourts,the
backgroundthatyouhaveiscompletelyirrelevant
to theway the courtwill proceed. It is relevant
onlytotheextentthat,ifyouneedatranslatoror
something,thecourtwillprovidethat.
It did not warrant separate laws for
separate groupings of people because it has
becomeanation
that
has
established
itself
more
andmore in linewiththetenetsofliberalismand
understanding people as individuals within the
state.Andpeoplearenotperceivedby the state
as belonging to any particular social grouping.
Thatdoesnotmeanhoweverthatpeopledidnot
regard themselves as being part of a social
Australias Multicultural Identity in the Asian Century
ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013 7
Thattoday,tosaythatyou
arean
Australian
is
becoming
moreandmoreacivicclaim
ElinaNoordiscussingapoint
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8 ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013
ISIS International Affairs Forum
grouping. And here we are running to a debate
that Australia inevitably was always going to
confront, once high levels of migration started
comingintoAustraliathatis,thedebatearound
multiculturalism.
I want to say two things about
multiculturalism. The first is, if you take the
Americanapproachtothe issue,thatsortofpure
andnewworldapproach to the ideaofanation,
then,debatesaboutmulticulturalismsimplydont
arise. You dont need a debate about
multiculturalism because you have a nation
founded on the idea of individual liberty,which
includeswithinittheideaof thelibertytochoose
onesculturalattachmentandexpressonesown
culture.
TheonlyreasonIwouldsaythatAustralia
has a debate about multiculturalism is because
within the Australianmindset there is still some
residue of that historical experience and that
lineage to Britain. But the thing about the
multiculturalismdebate inAustraliaand there
aresomewithinAustraliathatwouldargueabout
whether or not Australias experience in
multiculturalismhasbeenagood thing is that
thosevoices
are
inescapably
now
irrelevant.
Becausewhilethosevoicesarenowinthe
minority there have been distinctive polls to
show public support for multiculturalism with
rates rightupto90percentofthepopulation
while those residual voices are talking about
whether or not Australia should embrace
multiculturalism, its become such a profoundly
multiculturalsocietythatthereissimplynowayof
undoing it. And it has become a multicultural
society without particularly needing to try very
hardatdoingthat.
Andhere
Iwould
say
there
is
amarked
difference in the way that Australia does
multiculturalism and the way that Europe has
done it or at least, the experiences of
multiculturalismthatEuropehashad,whichhave
been variously declared a failure by different
European leaders. And I would describe the
European experience as really an experience of
parallelmonoculturalism.
Multiculturalism is not simply having
peoplewith
different
cultural
backgrounds
and
different ethnicitieswithin a country. It is about
the interrelationship of those people with each
other and theirexperienceswithin the state and
society.
Because Australia is leaning more and
moretowardsacivicidentityratherthanonethat
is,definednarrowly,cultural,themulticulturalism
that Australia has evolved organically, is one in
which people understand and can understand
themselvesas
Australian
and
something
else.
So
thereneednotbeanexclusiveAustralian identity
that says that if you are an Australian, you are
definitely not Greek or Italian or Chinese, or
Malaysian (there is a quite significant Malaysian
populationinAustralia).
I think what Australia has successfully
managed to do, whether deliberately or not
andAustralia iswonderful atachieving thingsby
accident is createa socialenvironmentwhere
peoplecan
maintain
what
Icall
dual
authenticity.
They can be authentically one thing and
Australiastillhasthis
debateabout
whether
it
is
tobedeterminedbyits
historyorbyitsgeography
Australiahassuccessfully
managedto..createa
socialenvironmentwhere
peoplecanmaintainwhatI
calldualauthenticity
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
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ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013 9
authenticallyAustralianandthosetwothingsneed
not be in contradiction. That, as far as the
Australianstate isconcerned,andbyand largeas
faras
Australian
society
is
concerned,
their
`Australianess is not compromised by their
attachmenttosomeotherculturalaffiliation.
Australiaisnotcompletelythereyetinthis
regard. Australia still has this debate about
whetheritistobedeterminedbyitshistoryorby
itsgeography.That is, itshistorybyBritain,or its
geography,really,inAsia.Butthatdebateisslowly
starting to recede and there is a reason it is
starting to recede, aside from the levels of
migrationthat
we
have
seen,
and
that
is,
frankly,
money.AndthisiswheretheAsianCenturycomes
in.
Does anyone here use the phrase Asian
Century? So this is just a phrase people in the
Westuse?Igetthefeeling.Ithinkitisindicativeof
somethingofanatmosphere.Acivilization that
theyhave felt forcenturiesprecedinghadalways
been theirs.And suddenly theemergenceofAsia
challengesthat. AndAustralia is inaveryunique
placewhen
it
comes
to
that,
for
acouple
of
reasons.
One,geographicallyspeaking,ournearest
neighbour is Indonesia. And Malaysia is not far
away,Chinasnotsofaraway,andJapanhasbeen
ourmajor tradingpartner foravery long time
which, when you think about the fact that
Australia and Japan were on opposing sides in
WorldWar II, isquiteanextraordinaryfeat.Now,
theAustraliaChinatradingrelationship ispossibly
themost
important
one
to
the
Australian
governmentat themoment.Ourentireeconomy
seems to be built now on the back of resources
beingsoldintoAsia,andChinaisaverymajorpart
ofthat.
But also for well over a hundred years,
Australia has had a very significant Asian
population. There have been times, in those
hundred years, where Australia has not
particularlywantedtohavethatAsianpopulation.
But there was a point, maybe right through the
20th
centurywhereAustraliaunderstoodthatthat
actually could be an asset and now its being
understoodmore
and
more
that
that
can
be
an
asset.
So one of the things that is the focus of
theAsianCentury,inAustralia,istheideathatthe
nationhasaveryflexible,openconceptofnational
identitythat isopentothe levelsofdiversitythat
it now inevitably has to sustain.With that in its
capital, and its proximity to Asia and its
population, a huge number of whom have an
understandingofAsiathatisintimatebecauseitis
throughfamily
connections
and
lived
history,
AustraliadoesntneedtobeseenasanEuropean
outpostinAsia.Indeeditdoesntneedtoseeitself
asanEuropeanoutpostinAsia. Itcanseeitselfas
intrinsically part of the Asian story. That the
AustralianstoryhasanAsianchapterwithin it
justdomestically.
In fact Ioften talk inAustralia about the
history of Islam in Australia and of Muslims in
Australia. And one of the things that is very
surprising,even
to
alot
of
Australians,
is
that
that
historybegins,atthemostconservativeestimate,
in about the year1600when youhad fishermen
comingfromMakassar,Sulawesi,intothenorthof
Australia forsixmonthseveryyear.Theymarried
the indigenous people there are words from
Australias Multicultural Identity in the Asian Century
A participant posing a question
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
12/16
ISISFOCUS NO.2/2013 11
their language in indigenous languages in the
northofAustralia.There isavery longhistoryof
thatengagement.
So
the
Asian
chapter
of
Australia
actually
isaverylongone;itsjustthatithasntbeentold
until recently.And the fact that itsbeing told is
essential tounderstanding theway inwhich the
Australiansocietyisbeginningtochange.
But heres the thing about economic
integration and about taking economic
opportunities.Youdonttakethoseopportunities
well ifyoudontalsoevolveculturally.That is, if
the future AsiaAustralian story is purely an
economic one, then it will actually have a very
limited future in Australia. Asia probably wont
mindsomuchbecause itwillgoongrowingand
becoming an emerging power house. Australia
willminditwillhavetomind.
And so, to the extent that Australia is
caughtbetween these twocompetingnotionsof
nationalidentities,onethatowesitselftotheold
world the ethnocultural understanding of
Australia andone that ismore civic, the shift
hasbeenmoreandmore towards thecivic.And
thatshiftwillonlygrowandgrowandgrowtothepoint,Ibelieve,whereanydiscussionofAustralia
andAustralianessasanethnoculturaldiscussion
willbegintosoundlikesomeverystrangecolonial
relic rather than having anything meaningful to
sayaboutacontemporaryAustralia.
It isactuallyaverypowerfulevolution in
thesocialhistoryofAustraliaandwhenyouthink
aboutit,itsquitearemarkableachievementthat
acountrythathashadaveryshorthistory,really,
asanation.Imeanitbecameanationin1901a
nationwiththatshortahistoryandthatbeganits
timewithawhiteAustraliapolicy.Oneofthefirst
ActsthatthenewlymintedAustralianParliament
passedwas the ImmigrationRestrictionAct it
wasconcernedwithimmigrationfromChina.That
thatcountry
has
become
acountry
that
is
now
notonlyhyperplural,butisdevelopinganational
identitythatcandealwiththathyperplurality,at
atimewhenIthink it isfairtosaythatEuropean
nationalidentitiesarestrugglingwithit.
Because the very essence of what it
means tobelong toanation is a flexiblenotion,
becoming more and more flexible in Australia,
partlybynecessity,partlybyaccidentandpartlyI
think by that underpinning Australian ethic of
egalitarianism.And
although
its
not
always
lived
up to, itat leastmeansnewarrivals toAustralia
haveanargumentabouttheirplace inthenation
andthechancesthattheyshouldbegiven.And I
thinkthatstheAustraliathatyouwillstarttosee
evolvingintheAsianCentury,evenifyouhaveno
ideawhattheAsianCenturymeansandwethink
wedo.Thatisnecessarilywhatwillhappen.
10 ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013
ISIS International Affairs Forum
SotheAsianchapterofAustralia
actuallyis
avery
long
one;
Itsjustthatithasntbeen
tolduntilrecently
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
13/16
ISISPublications
ISISFOCUS NO.6/2013 11
MalaysiaUSRelations20002011
ByPamelaSodhy
KualaLumpur:ISISMalaysia,2012
126pages
Ebook
Thismonographlooksat thepresentrelationshipbetweenMalaysiaand
the United States during a decadelong period, covering the main
political, economic, and sociocultural relations during the prime
ministerships in Malaysia, of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi,andNajibTunRazakandthepresidenciesintheUnitedStates,of
GeorgeBushandBarackHObama.
Download:http://www.isis.org.my/attachments/e
books/
Pamela_Sodhy_MalaysiaUS_Relations_Oct2012.pdf
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
14/16
12 ISIS FOCUS NO. 6/2013
ISISPublications
Malaysia:Policies&IssuesinEconomic
Development
693pp. 2011 RM80.00/US30.00
ISBN9789679473087
The book, consisting of more than 20 chapters, covers four main themes:
Macroeconomic Management, Economic Growth and Transformation,
ManagementofGrowthandEquity,andEnablingEnvironmentandInstitutionsfor
Development.Theauthorsaredrawnfromvarioussectors,withwiderangingand
richexperienceinacademia,thepublicsectorandtheprivatesector.
Comparedto
previous
studies
which
focused
mainly
on
the
development
process,
thisbooktakesadifferentapproachtoMalaysianeconomicdevelopment.Ittraces
landmarkachievements,andpresentschallengesandpitfalls facedby thenation
overthelastfivedecadesafterIndependence.Moreimportantly,itpaystributeto
theroleand contributionsofvariousplayersandprotagonistsinthisdevelopment
process.
Availableatalllocalbookshopsorpleaseemail:[email protected]
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
15/16
ISISFOCUS NO.6/2012 10ISISFOCUS NO.9/2011 9
NOTES
7/27/2019 ISiS Focus No.6 Jun 2013
16/16
INSTITUTEOFSTRATEGICANDINTERNATIONALSTUDIES(ISIS)MALAYSIANo.1,PersiaranSultanSalahuddinPOBox12424,50778KualaLumpurMalaysia
Tel
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