Everyday multiculturalism: Catching the bus in Darwin, Australia

Following acts of violence in major cities, the future of multiculturalism as a philosophy and a state-sponsored policy to promote peace and interdependence in white majority societies seem uncertain. Ethnographic research that explores the lived experience of multiculturalism in shared public spaces, however, offers the possibility to explore emotional stress as well as possibilities for change in culturally diverse cities. Within this literature, however, there is little grounded research that explores Indigenous-ethnic minority relationships. This paper foregrounds and describes a seemingly mundane event such as catching a bus that entangles my body with an Aboriginal woman and a migrant woman from Fiji in Darwin, Australia. The paper demonstrates how injury, anger, shame and discomfort unfolds when bodies of colour are sites of stress. I explore the emergence of this bodily stress that has outcomes for the capacity of racially differentiated bodies of colour to respond ethically in encounters with strangers. I argue that thick descriptions of events, conceptualisations of agency as distributed and broader understandings of the social have the potential to contribute to anti-racist agendas in Euro-colonial societies with separate Indigenous and multicultural policy frameworks in ways that do not require bodies to 'accumulate' or 'inhabit' whiteness. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis.

Race lines and spaces of political action among migrant youth

Recently proposed Anti-Racism Strategy established within a framework of the Australian Government's multicultural policy, People of Australia, identifies ‘youth engagement’ as one of the key areas that needs to be promoted and supported. Young people have been invited to join youth councils and youth forums and work with national, state and local policy-makers. Some have taken up this challenge and became public faces and active members of anti-racism campaigns. Others, however, either remained silent about the discrimination they face, or organised their own grassroots youth-based and youth-led initiatives. This paper discusses individual and collective responses to racism among young people in Australia, focusing on Melbourne, and examines possibilities in which racism, as a common experience among migrant youth, can be utilised to form alternative spaces for political action, challenging not only interpersonal, but also systemic forms of racism. By drawing attention towards institutional and systemic forms of racism, and the historical perpetuation of racist practices, these youth initiatives rely on legal measures, and argue that racism should be discussed in the context of the broader Australian society, not only in relation to minority groups.

Migrant women entrepreneurs : exploring the barriers

This two-volume work provides balanced and thorough coverage of women entrepreneurs in multicultural and international contexts as well as in the Western world.

Spiritual connections made through music making: sharing faith and music in an Australian setting

The musical involvement of people over the centuries is fundamentally interwoven with spiritual experiences (Seifert 2011). This paper discusses the connection between music and spirituality in an inter-denominational group in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. With ethical clearance, through semi-structured interviews with two church leaders and the music worship team, subsequently employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), I analysed and codified the data gathered. Two overarching themes are discussed: insights into music and spirituality; and connecting music to worship with self and others. The findings show that music in worship may provide a rich pathway for people to explore, experience, and express their spirituality, and to connect to the wider multicultural society. It also adds to the current debates on whether music has spiritual significance for some people apart from community expressions of spirituality through music. Limitations of the current study are knowledged and generalizations cannot be made regarding connections to music and spirituality. However, the findings do indicate that music in worship can enrich one’s spiritual experience and connection with God and others.

Deconstructing religious identity, difference, and belonging : implications for anti-racist pedagogy

Increasing numbers of Australians identify with a multiplicity of religion groups or have no religious affiliation. Despite this, the representation of religious groups other than Christian—and the implications of this for anti-racist pedagogy in Australian schools—is seldom explored. This article interrogates the ways in which the most prominent of these minority religious groups (Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish) were spoken about in two Melbourne newspapers and considers the implications of this interrogation for multicultural pedagogy in globally integrated local school contexts, such as those in Australia. Methodologies of social cultural theory and critical discourse analysis (CDA) are used to investigate newspaper discussions from the different viewpoints of their experiential, systemic, and normative focus. I find that notions of religious identity described in the media are stylized in form and an almost-silent normative self-identity is defined against clichéd typologies made within a crucible of race, identity, and belonging.

Motivational interviewing to explore culturally and linguistically diverse people's comorbidity medication self-efficacy

Aims and objectives: To examine the perceptions of a group of culturally and linguistically diverse participants with the comorbidities of diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease to determine factors that influence their medication self-efficacy through the use of motivational interviewing. Background: These comorbidities are a global public health problem and their self-management is more difficult for culturally and linguistically diverse populations living in English-speaking communities. Few interventions have been tested in culturally and linguistically diverse people to improve their medication self-efficacy. Design: A series of motivational interviewing telephone calls were conducted in the intervention arm of a randomised controlled trial using interpreter services. Methods: Patients with these comorbidities aged ≥18 years of age whose preference it was to speak Greek, Italian or Vietnamese were recruited from nephrology outpatient clinics of two Australian metropolitan hospitals in 2009. Results: The average age of the 26 participants was 73·5 years. The fortnightly calls averaged 9·5 minutes. Thematic analysis revealed three core themes which were attitudes towards medication, having to take medication and impediments to chronic illness medication self-efficacy. A lack of knowledge about medications impeded confidence necessary for optimal disease self-management. Participants had limited access to resources to help them understand their medications. Conclusion: This work has highlighted communication gaps and barriers affecting medication self-efficacy in this group. Culturally sensitive interventions are required to ensure people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds have the appropriate skills to self-manage their complex medical conditions. Relevance to clinical practice: Helping people to take their medications as prescribed is a key role for nurses to serve and protect the well-being of our increasingly multicultural communities. The use of interpreters in motivational interviewing requires careful planning and adequate resources for optimal outcomes.

Promoting African music and enhancing intercultural understanding in teacher education

Australia is a culturally diverse nation. The Arts provide a pathway that contributes to the rich tapestry of its people. Tertiary music educators have the responsibility to provide opportunities to effectively prepare and engage pre-service teachers in becoming culturally responsive. The authors discuss the importance and need to include guest music educators as culture bearers when preparing pre-service teachers to teach multicultural music. Drawing on data from student questionnaires, author participant observation and reflective practice in 2014, the findings highlight the experiences and practical engagement of an African music workshop in teacher education courses. Generalisations cannot be made, however, the findings revealed the need, importance and benefits of incorporating guest music educators as culture bearers who have the knowledge, skills and understandings to contribute to multicultural music education. This experience may be similar to other educational settings and it is hoped that the findings may provide a platform for further dialogue in other teaching and learning areas.

Promoting appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen garden program

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present emergent findings from an evaluation of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG) Program showing that the program promoted appreciation of cultural diversity and inclusion of culturally diverse groups. Design/methodology/approach – The findings reported here are from the qualitative component of a mixed-method, nonrandomized, pre- and post-comparison evaluation study. Focus groups and interviews were held with school principals, teachers, program specialist staff, parents, volunteers and children at the program schools. Findings – In a culturally diverse school, the program enhanced the school’s capacity to engage and include children and families from migrant backgrounds. In less diverse settings, the program provided opportunities for schools to teach children about cultural diversity. Research limitations/implications – Assessing the program’s impact on multicultural education was not a specific objective of this study, rather these findings emerged as an unanticipated outcome during interviews and focus groups that explored participants’ views on important changes to schools associated with the program. Thus, the quantitative component of the evaluation did not assess the extent of this program impact and further research is recommended. Practical implications – The program may have particular value in culturally diverse schools, providing benefits in terms of engagement of children and families and potentially, in the longer term, associated improvements in learning outcomes. Social implications – These findings suggest that the program can help to promote social equity and inclusion for culturally diverse groups. Originality/value – This paper highlights critical equity implications associated with school-based programs’ capacity to include culturally and linguistically diverse groups.

Religiosity, citizenship and belonging: the everyday experiences of young Australian Muslims

 Since 11 September 2001 Muslim Diasporas have emerged as objects of anxiety in Western societies. Underlying this (in)security-driven problematisation is the question of whether Muslims living in the West have the capacity to become fully active citizens while maintaining their religious beliefs, rituals and practices. This apprehension has prompted reactionary government programmes, particularly targeting young Muslims. Such responses fail to recognise the societal capacities that practising Muslims possess, including those informed by the ethical precepts of Islamic faith. This paper argues that it is timely to explore expressions of Islamic religiosity as they are grounded in everyday multicultural environments. The paper draws on survey data and interviews conducted with Muslims living in Melbourne, Australia. We take into consideration key variables of age and generation to highlight how young, practising Muslims enact citizenship through Islamic rituals and faith-based practices and traditions. The paper will draw from key findings to argue that these performances provide a foundation for exploring ways of ‘living’ together in a manner that privileges ethics central to Islamic faith traditions.

Inovação e hibridismos na obra Visagens nordestinas

Dissertação apresentada ao Programa de Pós-graduação em Comunicação- Mestrado da Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul

Entre a política e a poética do texto cultural : a produção das diferenças na revista Nova Escola

Ao partir de discussões que tomam como eixo central a temática da diferença na educação, a presente Dissertação busca problematizar o multiculturalismo e a retórica da diversidade cultural em suas “respostas” ao problema da diferença, bem como suas formas de “entrada” na educação. Situando a Revista Nova Escola – corpus de estudo desta pesquisa – no campo das pedagogias culturais e suas conexões com o currículo, analisa a produção cultural, os modos de ver e de narrar as diferenças, e os processos de produção/interação entre a revista e seu público leitor, estabelecendo, para tanto, uma articulação entre a política e a poética do texto cultural. Os aportes teóricos da pesquisa partem das contribuições dos Estudos Culturais, do Pós-Colonialismo e de autores/as que transitam por diversas teorias da diferença na educação, onde se busca dialogar sobre multiculturalismo, identidade, diferença, alteridade, cultura, currículo, pedagogias culturais, texto, discurso, imagem. As análises da pesquisa apontam percepções amplamente ambíguas a respeito da presença/ausência do outro na revista: por um lado, as imagens e narrativas do outro aparecem como invenções e fabricações culturais e discursivas instituídas a partir de determinados espaços de “referência” e/ou “normalidade”; por outro lado, tais invenções se mostram permanentemente perturbadas pela presença do outro na revista que emerge como linguagem outra e/ou de resistência. Ao finalizar, aponta a existência de uma multiplicidade de modos de produzir e nomear os “diferentes” na revista, ressaltando-se que essa produção não acontece independente de complexos jogos de poder e espaços de disputas em torno de significados e modos de ver, os quais precisam estar sempre abertos a incertezas e negociações. Tal reconhecimento torna possível, portanto, pensar as diferenças culturais para além das rígidas dicotomias entre identidade/diferença, eu/outro, nós/eles, norma/desvio... que freqüentemente povoam o pensamento educacional moderno.

Governo etnomatemático : tecnologias do multiculturalismo

A partir da perspectiva foucaultiana do governo, utilizando-me das ferramentas analíticas de tecnologias de governo e de racionalidades políticas, analiso um conjunto de artigos publicados em revistas especializadas, em anais de encontros científicos, nacionais e internacionais, além de teses, dissertações e trabalhos apresentados em conferências, congressos e em aulas virtuais. Demonstro como a Etnomatemática, enquanto um dispositivo de governo multicultural, operacionaliza-se por meio do exercício do que denominei de tecnologias do multiculturalismo, (re)atualizando modos de governo multiculturais específicos. A análise produz dois conjuntos demonstrativos de tecnologias: Ordenando poder-saber e Esculpindo o eu. No primeiro conjunto, descrevo as tecnologias de Produção de identidades e as de Hierarquização de diferenças, mostrando como elas se constituem em instrumentos de governo, comportam todo um conjunto de níveis de aplicação e de alvos, hierarquizam modos de existência singulares e os fixam em uma identidade etnomatematizada; no segundo, analiso as tecnologias do eu Reflexivo, Sentimental, Cidadão e Livre, demonstrando como o dispositivo etnomatemático governa a subjetividade, põe a funcionar essas tecnologias, combinando-as com variadas técnicas, procedimentos e práticas específicas de governo. Ao concluir esta pesquisa, argumento sobre a produtividade analítica que a perspectiva foucaultiana oferece para, quem sabe, transgredir fronteiras que conformam os indivíduos em uma identidade (re)conhecida e (re)conhecível, criar experiências curriculares e educacionais renovadas pela possibilidade de uma constante atualização de modos de existência para além de uma subjetividade etnomatematizada.

Treinamento e desenvolvimento intercultural: experiências e vivências em organizações brasileiras

Este estudo, diante do ritmo acelerado da globalização, aprende, caracteriza, discute e descreve experiências concretas de diferentes tipos de organizações, relacionadas a realidade multicultural desse novo contexto mundial, quando a comunicação e relacionamento humano assumem novas dimensões, para enfrentar desafios da competitividade. Iniciativas de treinamento e/ou desenvolvimento intercultural, foram buscadas com base em referencial teórico relacionado, métodos e técnicas qualitativos de pesquisas e uma abordagem fenomenológica complementar, cobrindo três diferentes casos empresarias e duas distintas organizações acadêmicas, iniciando com uma fase exploratória, seguida de validação de instrumentos de pesquisas, principalmente os de situações-problema a serem discutidas com os sujeitos. Esses procedimentos para definição do problema, o planejamento dos rumos do projeto e para a postura assumida nos âmbitos escolhidos, trouxeram maior precisão a formulação desses três pontos chave. No caso da companhia de transporte aéreo VARIG, um Projeto de Treinamento e Desenvolvimento/ Intercultural foi compreendido como possibilidade de competitividade nos serviços. No caso da fusão empresarial que resultou na criação da ELETRONUCLEAR, um programa de antecipação á referida mudança buscou a combinação cultural de duas empresas com expectativas agregadoras, visando minimizar o impacto do processo sobre a produtividade e a integridade das pessoas. No BANCO do BRASIL, os objetivos de T&D referiam-se a uma possível missão de atualização profissional no exterior, exigindo habilidades interculturais, a partir do mesmo princípio do auto conhecimento cultural, praticado nos casos anteriormente citados. Na academia, os cursos de comércio internacional ma UFRJ e na FGV, foram os ambientes escolhidos para pesquisas o lado humano intercultural dos negócios internacionais e dos processo de expatriamento, estimulando o aprendizado com a troca de experiências entre colegas, professores, palestrantes e pesquisadores. Os resultados do estudo revelam receptividade crescente sobre a proposta de T&D transcultural em todos os âmbitos pesquisados; um nível mais elevado de auto-estima dos sujeitos devido á oportunidade de discutir suas vivências na expectativa de aproximar pessoas e organizações, mesmo no caso da fusão; a postura fenomenológica de inserção na dinâmica dos próprios sujeitos, favorece a constatação de que momentos de convívio intersubjetivo são possíveis e valiosos para a construção transcultural e que, nesses termos, T&D Intercultural podem contribuir ainda, para classificar o sentido fenomenológico que circula nas ambiências compartilhadas, indicando uma orientação comum nos casos e situações investigados e que aparece no emprego de T&D intercultural como um recurso para humanizar a globalização.

Gestão Cultural na indústria hotelaria

o propósito deste estudo é o de analisar criticamente o serviço de hotelaria em relação à formação e às habilidades dos profissionais da área, especialmente gerentes e empregados da linha de frente, para atender a expectativas presentes e futuras de clientes multiculturais, visando à competitividade. Uma breve retrospectiva histórica situa a experiência brasileira nesse servIço em expansão e sofisticação crescentes no país e no mundo globalizado e apresenta as características de cada unidade hoteleira estudada. No cenário de hotelaria, comunicação e idiomas são fatores centrais, gerando impactos recíprocos entre os envolvidos. O estudo identifica propostas e iniciativas de treinamento dessa natureza entre os gerentes entrevistados e avalia as possibilidades para competência intercultural. Uma visitação a autores estudiosos em cultura, cultura brasileira, cultura organizacional, comunicação organizacional, linguagem, idiomas e diferenças culturais no gerenciamento compôs o referencial teórico. A metodologia empregada foi primordialmente qualitativa, buscando percepções dos gerentes e suas implicações para a gestão das diferenças culturais. Essa foi complementada com uma análise de dados quantitativos, com o objetivo de dar maior consistência à leitura da realidade multicultural da hotelaria. Diante de indícios de atenção ao fator cultura para competitividade, as conclusões apontaram para a necessidade de melhorar o entendimento conceitual de cultura, sistematizar e ampliar conteúdos de treinamento multicultural, incluir a linha de frente mais ampla e freqüentemente nesses programas, cobrindo idiomas.

Interculturalidade e diversidade cultural em grupos de estudo e trabalho na Europa

Estudos organizacionais