Compare and Contrast Asian and Australian Culture
Since time immemorial, there have existed two scholarly and
political controversies in Australia about the role that a person’s culture,
origins and identity play in determining their societal standing. As a
consequence, the presence of non-indigenous populace in Australia, as well as
the cultural diversity and ethnic politics that they bring with them, has been
of increased interest in the contemporary day. Joppke (2004) asserts that
despite the predominance of the western culture in many Australian cities, a
majority of the Chinese migrants settled in Australia have indicated a strong
allegiance to the safeguarding of their cultural and social ways of life. This
is due to the fact that they have a deep seated desire to preserve their
identity. This is despite the fact that some of the customs that they practice
have already been abandoned in their homelands. There are several
discrepancies, therefore, between the Asian cultural practices and those of the
Australians. According to Fletcher and Olekalns (n.d) the term culture can be
defined as a collection of values, mindsets, traditions and beliefs that a
certain group of people ascribe to. Different people from different parts of
the world tend to have discrepant cultural systems; if the members of a
multi-cultural society are to interpret and appreciate each other’s conduct and
objectives, it is important that the differences that exist between their
different cultural groups be identified and understood. Culture plays a very
significant role in an individual’s life in that it guides the individual on
how to form relationships with others in society as well as how to resolve
interpersonal conflicts in the event that they occur (Stephenson, 2003).
The populace patterns in Australia have for a long time
been composed of a people from varying culture, languages and historical backgrounds;
as a consequence, a rich variety of languages and cultural orientations are to
be found in Australia. The first group of Asians, particularly Chinese,
migrated into Australia in the first three decades of the 19th
century as workers in the pastoral and gold mine industries. By the year 1861,
3.4% of Australia’s populace was made up of Chinese offspring, the second
largest migrant group after the British Isles. In the modern day the greatest number
of Asian migrants in Australia is of Chinese origin with the 2001 Australian
census depicting an approximate 142,720 Chinese born individuals who have
settled in major Australian cities especially Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. This group of Chinese has, over the years, come
to be referred to as Chinese-Australians. An individual’s country of origin
tends to greatly affect their financial standing, proficiency in the English
language as well as their contact with and acceptance of western culture, and
the Asian-Australians are no exception (Diversicare, 2006).
As stated by Lo (2006), one of the first differences
between the Asian and Australian cultural orientations is the fact that, while
the Asians are ascribed to a collective kind of culture, most Australians are
more inclined towards an individualistic type of cultural orientation.
Collectivism is a term used to refer to societies whose affiliates are
incorporated in an in-group which is very dedicated, cohesive and
interconnected. In such a cultural orientation, there tends to be a greater
dedication by the group members towards the achievement of collective group
values and objectives as opposed to individual ones. The Asian-Australians also
place a very high value on the formation and maintenance of cordial social
associations and they have no qualms sacrificing their individual aspirations
for the sake of the larger group. Australians, on the other hand ascribe to the
most common western cultural orientation, that of individualism; this refers to
cultural set ups where the ties that exist amongst the society’s members are
very weak or non-existence. Such a society is comprised of members who put
their own personal interests and aspirations ahead of the communal ones; as a
corollary, they tend to prefer being different from the other members of the
cultural group and place a great importance to their own mindsets and
standpoints.
Gor and Hong (2004) assert that many Asian-Australian
migrants tend to have a culturally discrepant identity to that cultivated by
the Australian nationals. Identity refers to the manner in which an individual
perceives or describes themselves either as a unique person or as a member of a
society; a person’s identity defines the manner in which they perceive
themselves as well as how the rest of the society recognizes them. Unlike national identities which are dynamic
and constantly revised by the nationals of any country, ethnic identities tend
to be transmitted from one generation of people to the other. In a nation made
up of people from a variety of national heritages, it is very difficult to come
up with a singular national identity. This is more so in the case of the
Asian-Australians who have for decades felt that they have been the targets for
isolation, inequality and unwarranted segregation from the Australian
deliberations about identity and patriotism. A majority of the Asian-Australian
migrants tend to perceive the characteristics of being Asian as very divergent
to those of being Australian. The Chinese, for example, are convinced that one
cannot claim to be authentically Chinese if they do not portray characteristics
such as respect for the aged, perseverance, hard work as well as high scholarly
achievements. According to Joppke (2004), despite the fact that the
Asian-Australians have been present in Australia for quite some time now, they struggle
to self-identify as they still feel marginalized and left out. The Australians
on the other hand, through the efforts of the Australian government, have for a
long time been in pursuit of a common national identity which will set apart
the country from all others. This has however been a very difficult feat to
achieve due to the assortment of transnational cultural ways of lives that are
currently present in Australia. For a uniform national identity to be endorsed,
it is mandatory that the dynamic of identity be rid of all substance.
Clark (2007) brings out another cultural divergence between
the Asian cultural group and the Australian one. This is in the language
commonly used to communicate; many of the Asian transnational inhabitants in
Australia have maintained their birth language. The Chinese Asian-Australians,
for example, feel that their language is a multilayered on that is a
significant part of their person as well as their artistic nature. According to
the Chinese-Australians their Chinese language transcends the confines of the
written and spoken word and extends to the language of art, color, spiritual
rituals and visual descriptions. As a consequence of maintaining their original
language, the Australian government considers the Asian-Australians as acting
contrary to the requirements of the Australian national identity. This has
prompted the Australian government to make it mandatory for all Asians, and any
other migrants that want to be granted Australian citizenship, to be presented
with an English proficiency and Australian history test that they must pass
before citizenship is granted. This has however, according to Pakulski and Tranter (2000), not done much to
increase transnational allegiance to the Australian national identity due to
the fact that rather than the first group of Asian-Australian transnational who
first settled in Australia, it is the educated, English proficient and trained
new generation Asian-Australians who have the lowest desire to ascribe to
Australian cultures and national identity since they have a wide range of
opportunities, both economically and socially, in Australia as well as other
parts of the globe. It is worth noting that while some of the Asian-Australians
are indeed very good in the English language, their ‘proficiency’ is perceived
as falling short of the intellectual and linguistic expertise that is mandatory
if they are to work in the conventional Australian linguistic sector. A
majority of the educated Asian-Australians feel that the monolingual culture
that is emphasized by the Australian culture brings about the unfavorable situation
in which the English language is overemphasized in a multilingual society; as
such the Australian nation is perceived by a majority of the multinationals as
being superficially multilingual. Nevertheless by the second or third
generation, the Asian-Australian migrants have already lost their proficiency
in the Chinese language. This implies that while proficiency in English is very
important for the Asian-Australians, their cultural heritage does not
necessarily impose on them to learn their original languages.
Gor and Hong (2004) assert that another point of cultural
difference between the Asians and Australians is depicted in the culinary
lifestyles that are adopted by the two groups. After language, food is a very
important indicator of a people’s culture. Many of the Asian-Australians are on
record as having a special preference for their traditional culinary delicacies
as opposed to the western food which is preferred by many of the original
Australians. Those who choose to diversify their culinary choices tend to opt
for foods that come from other Asian nations; the Chinese-Australians, for
example, are more likely to settle opt for Mediterranean foods rather than the
‘Australian’ meals. There are discrepancies evidenced in the cultural food
preferences between fresh Asian-Australian migrants and the more diasporic
ones. The new Asian migrants into Australian tend to be very enthusiastic of
savoring Australian foods and may prefer the Australian meals if they like
their tastes. The more established Asian-Australians, on the other hand, tend
to perceive food as a very significant indicator of their culture and
traditions; as a consequence, they are rarely as enthusiastic as the new
migrants when it comes to forsaking their traditional diets. As a matter of
fact, this category of Asian-Australian migrants is very inclined towards the promotion
of food diversity in Australia so as to preserve their traditional.
According to Stephenson (2003), religion is another
cultural aspect in which there exist noticeable discrepancies between the
Asians and Australians. While a majority of the Australians are predominantly
Christians, albeit of varying inclinations, the Asians are culturally
predominantly Muslim or Buddhist in some cases. Regardless of the fact that a
majority of Asian-Australian have been born and brought up in Australia, many a
times they are perceived as the ‘other’. Although this reference does not
necessarily have to be evil or prejudiced, as a consequence of the recent
terrorist activities believed to be funded by powerful Islamic nations, the
Islamic Asians have found themselves on the receiving end of religious and
political propaganda. On the other hand, despite the perceived victimization as
a consequence of their cultural spiritual affiliation, there are a variety of
Islamic doctrines and ways of life that segregate the Asians from Australians.
These are mostly the Islamic principles that guide the interactions between men
and women, choice of careers as well as the mode of dressing.
Clark (2007) mentions that apart from the pronounced differences
in the cultural manner of greeting, manner of dressing, familial structures,
religion and culinary preferences, there are notable discrepancies in the art
of Asian-Australian in contrast to that of original Australians. Despite the
fact that the input made by Asian-Australians to the issue of cultural exchange
between Asia and Australia has been quite restricted in the past, the modern
day has witnessed increased participation from this group in certain
exhibitions for example Transit (1998), Rose Crossing (1999) and the
Asia-Pacific Triennial (1999). Many migrant artists produce pieces of art that
reveal the experiences and harsh realities that they have gone through as
migrants such as family fragmentation, racial and economic prejudice and war.
According to Chiu (2000), it is surprising that the Asian-Australians who have
been in Australia all their lives still produce art that is very depictive of
their Asiatic cultural orientation and traditional customs. Any art aimed at
the description of Asiatic culture that is produce by original Australians has
shown a propensity towards the description of the Asian culture based on a
motif of western aesthetic principles. Nevertheless, there is a difference
between the two cultural groups even in such exhibitions; while the Australian
curators are allowed the leeway of cultural elasticity to curate artistic
presentations from whichever part of the globe they prefer the Asian and
Asian-Australian curators have always been expected to within the confines of
their national frontiers. The increased number of curators of different
nationalities in the artistic events is thus perceived as a front to disguise
the marginalization of the Asian-Australians.
Conclusively, in the
modern day Australia, there exists a strong sense of disloyalty amongst
transnational inhabitants due to feelings of non-acceptance and fear of losing
their individual cultural orientations for that of the westerners. This has in
turn translated to an atmosphere of domestic disintegration in the nation as
well as escalating the trepidation of international and state insecurity. The
discrepancies between Asians and Australians range from their different
languages, religions, dietary patterns and artistic productions. Nevertheless,
despite all these differences between Asians and Australians, the Australian government
has made efforts to identify and culturally engage with the Asian originals,
both in the country and outside. For instance, Art has been used in the modern
days to try and rid Australia of the prejudice and discrimination that it has been
accused of classically meting out on Asians and other Aboriginal populations
for a very long time. A very good example is the Asia-Pacific Triennial which
was set in 1993 by the Queensland Art Gallery. Such galleries have opened up
forums for the unbiased exhibition of Asian art and enhanced the relationship
between Asians and Australians. Despite the fact that it is very difficult to
reconcile the ethnic and cultural differences that exist between the diverse
peoples of Australia, since the
abolition of the White Act the Australian government has been in pursuit of a
common national identity which will set apart the nation from all others. Nevertheless,
for a uniform national identity to be endorsed in Australia, it is mandatory
that the dynamic of identity be rid of all substance and that all the involved
peoples be allowed into the deliberation process that will serve to unite all
the diverse and cosmopolitan peoples of modern day Australia.
Bibliography
Clark, J.
(2007): ‘Perceptions of Australian Cultural Identity among Asian Australians’
Australian Journal
of Social Issues, Vol. 42
Chiu, M.
(2000): ‘The Transcultural Dilemma: Asian Australian Artists in the Asian
Debate’
Journal of
Australian Studies
Diversicare
(2006): ‘Chinese Culture Profile’ A Project of The Queensland Partners in
Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC)
Fletcher, L.
and Olekalns, M. (n.d): ‘Conflict Resolution: Individualism and Collectivism in
the
Asia-Pacific Region’ Department of Management Working Paper
in Organizational Studies No. 2
Goh, R. B. H.
and Wong, S. (2004): ‘Asian Diasporas: Cultures, Identities, Representations’
Hong Kong University Press
Joppke, C.
(2004): 'The Retreat of Multiculturalism in the Liberal State: Theory and
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British Journal of
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(2006): ‘Disciplining Asian Australian Studies: Projections and Introjections’ Journal of
Intercultural
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Pakulski, J.,
and Tranter, B. (2000): 'Civic Identity, in Australia' Australian Journal of Social
Issues, 35 (1), 35- 51
Stephenson,
P. (2003): ‘New Cultural Scripts: Exploring the Dialogue between Indigenous and
Asian Australians’ Journal
of Australian Studies
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