Race, ethnicity, prejudice: white Australia policy
Contents
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Part 1
Introduction
What is Race?
What is Ethnicity?
What is Prejudice?
What is Racism?
Part 2
Introducing the ‘White Australia’ policy
From White Australia to Multiculturalism
Conclusion
References
This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part the concepts or race, ethnicity, prejudice and racism are defined and how they are connected is discussed. Part 2 of the paper looks at the ‘White Australia’ policy and why it was introduced. The impact of such a racist immigration history on contemporary Australia is also discussed in terms of attitudes and behaviours of the population. Following is a brief discussion on how successive government policies and non-government organisations have tried to deal with and eradicate racism and discrimination against minority groups in Australia since the ‘White Australia’ policy was abolished in the 1940’s. Lastly, the tensions that remain today in multicultural Australia are explored.
Part 1
What is race?
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was thought that humans could be divided into different groups according to their biological makeup, or alternatively, their race. The term ‘race’ focused more on common features that were shared among a single species, rather than placing emphasis on the characteristics which divide us (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007; Giddens, 2001). The emerging theories of race were used to justify the rising social order as England along with other European nations became imperial powers. It was thought that there were three main race categories, white, black and yellow, with the white race being the superior race (Giddens, 2001). Today, sociologists reject the idea of racial hierarchy amongst humankind and propose that ‘race’ is “a social construct related to the ways that people and cultures interpret, and react to, minor physical
_____________________________________________________________________
Part 1
Introduction
What is Race?
What is Ethnicity?
What is Prejudice?
What is Racism?
Part 2
Introducing the ‘White Australia’ policy
From White Australia to Multiculturalism
Conclusion
References
This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part the concepts or race, ethnicity, prejudice and racism are defined and how they are connected is discussed. Part 2 of the paper looks at the ‘White Australia’ policy and why it was introduced. The impact of such a racist immigration history on contemporary Australia is also discussed in terms of attitudes and behaviours of the population. Following is a brief discussion on how successive government policies and non-government organisations have tried to deal with and eradicate racism and discrimination against minority groups in Australia since the ‘White Australia’ policy was abolished in the 1940’s. Lastly, the tensions that remain today in multicultural Australia are explored.
Part 1
What is race?
During the late 18th and early 19th centuries it was thought that humans could be divided into different groups according to their biological makeup, or alternatively, their race. The term ‘race’ focused more on common features that were shared among a single species, rather than placing emphasis on the characteristics which divide us (Cohen & Kennedy, 2007; Giddens, 2001). The emerging theories of race were used to justify the rising social order as England along with other European nations became imperial powers. It was thought that there were three main race categories, white, black and yellow, with the white race being the superior race (Giddens, 2001). Today, sociologists reject the idea of racial hierarchy amongst humankind and propose that ‘race’ is “a social construct related to the ways that people and cultures interpret, and react to, minor physical
References: The White Australia Policy (1880’s – 1940’s) Australia as we know it today is a result of careful political planning and construction to create a particular kind of society Cohen, R. & Kennedy, P. (2007). Social Inequalities: Gender, Race and Class. In Global Sociology. (2nd edition, Ch 6, pp 157 – 162). Giddens, A Jupp, J. (2002). From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. McConnochie, K., Hollinsworth, D., & Pettman, J Matsumoto, D. & Juang, L. (2004) Culture and psychology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Van Krieken, R., Habibis, D., Smith, P., Hutchins, B., Haralambos, M., & Holborn, M. (Eds.). (2006). Sociology. Themes and Perspectives. (3rd ed.). Frenchs Forest: Pearson Longman. Van Krieken, R. et al (2010). Identities: Indigenous, National, Ethnic and Racial. In Sociology. (4th edition, Ch 8, pp 256 – 282). Sydney: Pearson. Windschuttle