This paper reports on an ongoing ethnographic study that explores what it means to ‘become’ Australian for recently arrived migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds. In particular, the study explores how migrants and refugees negotiate, contest and interpret these discourses about Australianness, Australian values and an Australian way of life and how these discourses impact on their notions of belonging in their adopted Australian community.
Chaos, Information Technology, Global Administration and Daily Life
The Project investigates the production of disorder in everyday life through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Despite the all pervasive nature of ICT and our dependence upon it, systems frequently do not work as expected, and little is known about the commonly reported experience of disruption and confusion amongst IT users. Despite continual claims of increased efficiency, administration, when distributed through ICT, routinely seems out of control and unpredictable even to those expecting to hold power. Even good software can unexpectedly produce disorder. If this is a common experience, then it cannot be ignored or taken as unusual or as unimportant.
Seminar presented by Andrew Jakubowicz & Mara Moustafine on Wednesday 29 April 2009 as part of the UTS Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre Seminar Series 2009. Seminar 1 – ‘Migration and Cultural Diversity – Exploring different dimensions of migration and cultural diversity in relation to public policy issues’.
Sydney For All – Visitor Accessibility In Urban Centres
The research project was sponsored by the STCRC NSW state node to examine visitor accessibility in urban areas. Visitor accessibility encompasses all tourism markets including seniors and people with disabilities who have been identified as the accessible tourism market.
Presentation slides from the seminar.
PART I: An Introduction to Uzbekistan by Dr Angeline Low, UTS:CCS
PART II: Women, Civil Society and Islam in Uzbekistan by Prof Gulkhumor Tuychieva, Tashkent Institute of Oriental Studies
PART III: The Social Innovators: Muslim Women Entrepreneurs In Uzbekistan by Dr Angeline Low, UTS:CCS
Voices Shaping the Perspectives of Young Muslim Australians
This project is undertaking a social ecology of the voices that young Muslims hear, including their own, their peers and the official voices of the society and government, with the intention to develop a detailed empirical study and analysis of the social ecology of voices and voices of influence (including charismatic figures, heroes, opinion-makers, interpretative communities, governments etc) informing and shaping the political and theological perspectives of young Muslims Australians.
Sport and Active Recreation: Disability Participation and Non Participation Study
As the recently released Crawford Report on Australian Sport identifies, Australians love sport and active recreation, but research has shown that people with disabilities participate less than the rest of the community. UTS School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism researchers Simon Darcy, Aron Murphy, Tracy Taylor and Dan Lock were successful in their application to the Australian Sports Commission to conduct research on the participation and non-participation of people with disabilities in sport and active recreation.
The Climate Action Research Group is investigating the politics and methods of climate action in Australia. The groups key objective is to theorise and conceptualise the practice of social and political change through climate action.
Rugby Youth Foundation: Mt Druitt and Doonside Youth Leadership Program
CCS has supported the scoping of a research project that aims to evaluate the outcomes of a sport related, cross-cultural youth leadership program in the Mt Druitt and Doonside regions, both of which are within the Blacktown Local government Area.
Jenny Onyx, Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre, UTS
Helen Hayward-Brown, Social Justice Social Change Research, University of Western Sydney
Rosemary Leonard, Social Justice Social Change Research, University of Western Sydney
Annette Maher, Volunteering Australia
This project explored the potential for community development in Australian rural towns involving visiting ‘Grey Nomads’ as volunteers in community projects. The project was a joint University of Technology/University of Western Sydney venture with Volunteering Australia, involving six rural towns. It was a national research project, funded by an Australian Research Council grant.
