How Australians Perceive Racism in Todays Social and Cultural Context - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal How Australians Perceive Racism in today’s Social and Cultural Context? Introduction: It was 12th March 2008, a group of women and children were thrown out of the hotel at Alice Springs and the reason was simple: they were Aboriginal and the hotel was Alice Haven Backpackers Resort. Ms Langdon told ABC Radio after they checked in the hotel room, they had to go out and soon hotel manager came and told them they were not fit to stay in the hotel as they were aboriginals, and the other people in the hotel were afraid of them. (nzherald.co.nz 2008) This is the darkest chapter in the face of Australia that boasts of itself as the most democratic country and besides the historical apology made by Australians. In a speech at the sitting House of Representatives, Parliament House Canberra on 13th February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd moved a motion of the apology, “Governments have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologize especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry”(Rudd, 2008) but number of findings has revealed that people’s sentiment towards their own ethnicity and race is very strong as they were before and intolerance level still predominates at the grass roots level. Previous Studies: Roots of racism in Queensland have been dug so deep into the sub consciousness level of the people by their ancestors that they have made racism as part of their lives. This aspect has been revealed by number of historians and research analysts. In 1987, Sydney University team led by Australia’s pre-historian, Professor D J Mulvaney made a sensational yet unpopular discovery. They found that the population of Australia in 1788 was 750,000, or three times what was found previously and argued that white settlements had resulted in the deaths of more than 600,000 people. Former honourable Prime minister, John Howard, scoffed it as the “black-armband view of history”. (Pilger, 2000) In the eyes of number of his white subjects, “it threatens the view of themselves as innocent bystanders in a stolen land”. (Pilger, 2000) Graham Huggan captured the intensity of racism as a relation between Aborigines and white settlers from the historical perspective: what has made it the most vital aspect of the life of original people and others and what impact it has now. He said, “Early relations between Aborigines and white settlers were characterized by the often extreme racial antagonism that is a staple of violent frontier societies, occasionally leavened by the type of moralizing Christian sentiment that permitted itself to express sympathy for the unfortunate natives without doubting for the moment that they belonged to the inferior, quite possibly a dying race.”(Huggan, 2007, p. 18) Colonial racial attitudes were not constant but they had certain identifiable definite set patterns, which had been shaped by the primitive myths and stereotypes from the literary and philosophical works of Europe. More than this, it was based on the skin colour, their culture, habits and features which marked them as members of the, as Huggan says, “irremediably inferior race”. (Huggan, 2007, p.19) What Graham Huggan wanted to emphasize was the point that racism merged on the virtue of social and economic patterns of the colonial days. Colonial rulers subjugated the natives more on economical basis making them slaves to work in their colonies. How today in political arena racism is playing its role is clear in the report by Malcolm Knox in Guardian on 2003, when he said, “Racism in Australia is insidious, unadmitted. We have few proud racists. There is no open Klan or National Front here. Our white supremacist fringe - the 10% of voters represented in the late 1990s by Pauline Hanson but who, in the 2001 election, swung back into step with Howard's dance of Arab-phobia - do not admit to racism”. (Knox, 2003) He said when Howard talked about strikes against terrorist in Asia or snatching away democratic rights from the non-white asylum seekers, he said, “ordinary Australians think.... All ills can be cured if everybody just stops whingeing and swallows the (white, male, resolutely middle-class and anti-intellectual) panacea of ‘mateship’.” (Knox, 2003) Ward too claims that, “the Founding fathers of the common wealth had specifically excluded Aboriginals from its responsibilities. Section 121 of the constitution stated “aboriginal natives shall not be counted’ and that they were legal status that has more in common with that of a born idiot than any other class of British subject.”(Van Den Berg, 2002 p. 63) In Australia, as told to me by the people, racism is a symbol of vote bank and a status symbol of dominating authority in their own religions or ethnic group. Study by Catriona Elder revealed that, “in December 2005 when hundreds of young Anglo Australians rioted in Maroubra and Cronulla, seeking out Australians they deem un-Australians to vilify, they stood in different relation to powerful media institutions”. (Elder, 2008, p. 117) For example: Steve Price who was a talkback radio personality in Sydney started a ‘community show of force’ to show resentment against the incident where non-Anglo Australians severely beat Cronulla lifesavers. It was found that “racism among of the Anglo Australians took place in a context where aspects of their hatred were supported by some powerful institutions.” (Elder, 2008, p. 117) Aim: Our research project would reveal the attitude of the common people of Queensland especially the difference between what they actually think and their behaviour towards the other religions, ethnicity, and race in reality in today’s social and cultural context. Australia is considered as one the greatest immigrant nations in the world and according to the Australian Department of Immigration, 100,000 new immigrants add to the population of Australia every year bringing with them 200 different types of languages along with their own religion and culture. Still several studies have been conducted showing the trend of racism among Australians; what are the factors behind racism and reasons that are inducing the Australians to show resentment against the people of other religions and is the age an important factor in showing discriminatory and resentment? But my study would be different as it would read through the psychological factors that go behind the ordinary service class people to show their reproach towards others even in globalized world of today. Method My area of study would include middle salaried class of Ipswich of 150,000 people located on the South East part of the metropolitan area of the Queensland. (Ipswich Overview, Online edition). Citizens of Ipswich constitute immigrants from 115 countries and speak more than 80 different languages and by 2020, the population would be expected to grow to 317,000 people. My target audience would be Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, Arabs, Muslims, Africans, Jews, Palestinians and Turkish origin. A series of in-depth interviews will be taken in which attitudinal questions reflecting their tolerance level towards other religions in the age of today will be asked. The format of the interview will be semi structured and open ended exploring broad perception of respondents on the issues like the type of racial discrimination they have to get themselves exposed to in society in general or do the children also adhere to discriminatory attitudes in schools and colleges and what is the psychological impact. Such interview process focuses on research questions with greater flexibility, and, this approach of study can better explore the perceptions of the respondents. This two-way conversation forms a sort of non-hierarchal relation and respondents communicate freely and openly their embedded experiences and thoughts. This also helps us to focus on strengths and weaknesses of the format and if any changes are required to be made to improve the pattern. (Reigeluth, 1999) Sampling: This project intends to enlist 50 middle class respondents each of Aborigines, Torres Strait Islanders, Arabs, Muslims, Africans, Jews, Palestinians and Turkish origin of the age group between 30 to 50years both men and women residing in Ipswich thus comprising 400 respondents in total. It will be form of quota sampling, one of designs of purposive non-probability sampling based on convenience. Snowball design of non-probability may also be taken as per requirement. Thus the overall sampling procedure will be non-probability sampling as the subjective judgment comes into play. (Bickman & Rog 1997) Data Analysis After the data has been collected, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) will be used to analyze profile data of participants. As regards to timing of qualitative analysis, basic analysis will be conducted after tenth of the participant has been interviewed and when all the interviews have been completed, the analysis will be intensified on more specific aspects of research. The information provided by the respondents of different religions will be subjective based on their religious beliefs and personal opinions and thus the analysis will focus more strategically on participant’s experience in different homeland and how it is related to the research project undertaken. The main aspects of qualitative data analysis are threefold: first is to capture the richness and complexity of life experiences; secondly it includes the researcher’s experiences; and thirdly it consists of three stages of data reduction, data organization and data interpretation in cyclic form. (Alston & Bowles 2003) It is proposed to adopt eclectic method of qualitative data analysis but with a tendency to narrative analysis as people convey their experiences and thoughts from their own perspectives. This will be done because narrative approaches are based on interpretation and nature of understanding and moreover personal narratives express the history and culture of the individuals in their own words. (D'Cruz & Jones 2004) Then the main themes emerging from the research will be analyzed on the basis of the issues expressed by the narratives of the participants. (Alston & Bowles 2003) Ethical Consideration The proposed research would be sent for approval to the Research Ethics Committee. In the area of social work research, the investigation would follow the rules of ethics as enshrined in the Australian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. Several aspects to the code of ethics will be taken into account while taking interviews. 1 Protection of the privacy and professional decorum would be maintained. 2 Before asking questions, consent would be taken. 3 The research participants and interviewees would be protected from unnecessary discomfort, danger or deprivation, and harm. 4 Anonymity and confidentiality of the participants would be taken care of. 5. Research will be reported and the data will be evaluated very accurately and analytically. 6. Research material would be secured very securely for future references. (AASW, 1999) Before taking signature of the consent form, it would be thoroughly explained to the participant in case of language barrier. If the participant feels uneasy in signing the document, the proposed research would also include special provision for the consent for verbal interview such as tape recording their views. Limitations of the Study: In our Research Project, the main limitation we can face would be in the process of data analysis and at the time the data is tested for its reliability and validity. The validity test of data could be undertaken by the process of saturation. To further confirm the accuracy of data, member checking should be done with each participant soon after the information is recorded. In one of the methods, each participant can be shown a typed summary of the information he or she has contributed and discuss its accuracy. The language barrier is also great hindrance during the interview process and that could be overcome by taking into confidence one local person who can understand their language and culture better and also know English. He can better explain the questions and interpret their answers for our understanding. Conclusion This research would forge a new ground in the area of research and investigation on racism issue as it would reveal the inner struggles and turmoil’s of the middle class people as they had to face different types of people from different cultural and social backgrounds and their attitude and approach towards them in their respective area of work and in their day to day lives: how they adhere themselves to the chauvinistic approach of different set of people and what are their notions about each other. This study would help the social workers to analyze the problems of the people from the inner depth of their consciousness and frame their right procedures and methods to come closer to them. It would also help the Government to frame laws according to the people’s perceptions and rights and privileges’ in their social and cultural context to finally wipe out the racism from its roots. REFERENCE LIST Ang, I., Brand, J.E., Noble, G., & Wilding, D. (2002) Living Diversity: Australia’s Multicultural Future, Special Broadcasting Services Corporation, Artarmon. Alston, M & Bowles, W. 2003. Research for Social Workers: An Introduction to Methods London: Routledge. Bickman, L. & Rog, D.J. (1997) Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods: Handbook of (c) Applied Social Research Methods. London: SAGE Publications Davis, R. & Stimson, R. (1998) "Disillusionment and disenchantment at the fringe: explaining the geography of the One Nation Party vote at the Queensland Election", People and Place 6(3), 69-82 D'Cruz, H. & Jones, M. (2004). Social Work Research: Ethical and Political Contexts. London: SAGE Publications. Elder, C. (2008). Being Australian: Narratives of National Identity. NSW: Allen & Unwin. Hutchinson, M. (1999). Great White Flood: Racism in Australia by Anne Pattel-Gray. Church History, 68(4), 1075-1078. Huggan, G. (2007). Australian Literature: Postcolonialism, Racism, Transnationalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ipswich Overview. Retrieved on August 11, 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.mostlivable.org/general/ipswich-overview.html Knox, M. 2003. Wake up Australia, racism is a problem. Retrieved on 7 August 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2003/jan/20/cricket Nz.herald.co.nz. (2008). Aboriginals kicked out of hostel after 300km trek. Retrieved on 7 August 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10497505 Pilger, J. 2000. Cathy Freeman's broad Olympic smile is being used to conceal a multitude of Australia’s original sins. Retrieved on 11 August 2008 from W.W.W: http://www.newstatesman.com/200007100012 Reigeluth, C.M. (1999). Instructional-design Theories and Models: A New Paradigm of Instructional Theory, Volume II. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Rudd, K. 2008. Kevin Rudd’s Speech On The Apology To The Stolen Generations. Retrieved on 7 August 2008 from W.W.W: http://australianpolitics.com/category/rudd-government Van den Berg, R. 2002. Nyoongar People of Australia. Leiden: Brill Read More