Social Capital In Australian Culture

With the current growth of population and the increase of diversity mixtures, new cultures are struggling to assimilate into Australian culture. With the Australian culture itself being hard to identify, it makes it more challenging for individuals to find their own social identity. In addition new cultures are lacking to practice the concept of social capital.

Given the cultural diversity that has emerged over the last few decades, the definition of the true Australian identity has become increasingly problematic to define. In fact,. International Journal of Business and Social Science (2012) claims that Australia has transformed into a large ‘melting pot’ of identities since the abandonment of the White Australia policy and the emergence
Bourdieu (1986) states that social capital is ‘the aggregate of actual or potential resources which are linked to the possession of a durable network’. This definition looks on an individual’s ability to exploit on the resources from social connection outcomes. Hence, Putnam (2005) defines social capital as “features of social organisation such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit”. The concept of this definition is based on the values which emphasises on the efficient networks, including trust and civil involvement. Research suggest that individuals with Islamic values are encouraged to participate in non-Muslim social networks (Tolsma, n.d.). These values are founded on the significance of ‘neighbourliness’ including quality, fairness and social justice. These theories are lack from the Middle Eastern Muslim communities. Deakin University, 2005 states that the desire for a closer interaction with the broader community, Muslims are inhibited which discredit and marginalise them. These traits are assumed to be the barrier for individuals to be more active in the Muslim communities in Australia. Also social ranking and status are factors which support the trust between Arab and non-Arab Australians, it creates a opportunity to bridge social capital for the Muslim communities. Despite the alienation from the wider Australian society, uniting social capital remains important for Middle eastern Muslim communities in Australia. Nevertheless they are challenged to do so, with the discrimination and targeting of