Research at Bond

Current Research Projects

Multiculturalism is Unfinished Business

The ‘unfinished business’ of Australian multiculturalism was graphically demonstrated by the race riots at Sydney’s Cronulla Beach in December 2005.

The involvement of so many younger Australians in the street violence came as no surprise to Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies, Dr Jeff Brand, who has recently taken part in a second major study of Australians under 40 who hail from culturally diverse backgrounds.

The ‘Connecting Diversity’ project was funded by SBS Television and Radio, and follows on from ‘Living Diversity’ which was published in 2002.

“The findings from our focus groups indicated that, while we are traversing a fairly difficult period in terms of inter-cultural relations within Australia, it is not necessarily any more difficult than it was a generation ago,” said Dr Brand.

“The difference seems to be that problems relating to multiculturalism are discussed more and are given a higher profile in media coverage.”

Dr Brand’s involvement in the national study related specifically to how young Australians from a wide range of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds use various forms of media to become more involved in political and social life.

“We considered everything from traditional TV and newspaper media, favoured by the 36- 40 age group, through to digital media such as mobile telephony, text messages and the Internet which, not surprisingly, are more widely used by teenagers,” said Dr Brand.

“Our key findings in this area are best described as a series of paradoxes: For instance, while younger Australians have a strong sense of connection with particular media, they either don’t trust or feel disconnected with the content they receive.

“Similarly, these young audiences are highly critical of news and current affairs, and yet they still value the role these programs are supposed to play in society.

“Perhaps most significantly for SBS and, indeed, all other media, is that these young Australians don’t feel that the media empowers them to effect changes on important issues.”

Scheduled to be published early in 2006, the ‘Connecting Diversity’ study will be used by SBS to develop new ways to help Australians from diverse backgrounds feel more a part of Australian society.

Key Project Team Members

  • Associate Professor Jeff Brand - Bond University
  • Professor Ien Ang - University of Western Sydney
  • Dr Greg Noble - Centre for Cultural Research
  • Dr Jason Sternberg - Queensland University of Technology

Funding Sources

Contact:

Assoc. Professor Jeff Brand

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
BOND UNIVERSITY QLD 4229
AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61 7 5595 2511
Email: jbrand@staff.bond.edu.au