1. Aussies? Afghans? Hazara refugees and migrants negotiating multiple identities and belonging in Australia.
- Author
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Radford, David and Hetz, Heidi
- Subjects
- *
HAZARAS , *REFUGEES , *AFGHANS , *MUSLIMS , *ETHNIC groups - Abstract
Australia has one of the largest Hazara diasporic communities outside of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. Their identities as Hazara, Afghans, Muslims and recently arrived refugees/asylum seekers are often subject to negative representations in public discourses in Australia and compete with a dominant version of Australian identity that remains largely Anglo-centric. This research highlights the importance of agency and social context as Hazara Australians negotiate belonging and their multiple or hybrid identities. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with Hazara Australians, this paper explores the participants' self-perceptions as Hazara (ethnic), Afghan (homeland), Muslim (religious), Australian (host nation), and (former) refugees, and the ways these were negotiated and experienced. The participants in this research offer a re-imagining of Australian national identity, defined by its multicultural nature and the sharing of rights and responsibilities through Australian citizenship, enabling Hazara to describe themselves as 'Australians' or 'Aussies'; and to find belonging that includes their multiple identities, as Hazara/Afghans, Muslims, and former refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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