Ethnicité et race. Séminaire MIM. Séance 14

For over 30 years the official Australian policy response to immigrant-based diversity has been Multiculturalism. Apart from Canada, Australia is the sole country where multiculturalism has been the official policy for this extended period of time. In this it contrasts with many other places where multiculturalism has been advocated as the alternative to existing settlement and incorporation policies. Given the often heated nature of international debates about the desirability of ‘Multiculturalism’ viewed from an abstract, international, perspective, the Australian example provides an opportunity to examine the reality of how such a policy operates in a society. This conference will outline the nature of Australian multicultural policy and its changes over the last three decades. In doing so, emphasis will be given to the domestic criticisms of the policy and will provide an assessment of its impact on Australian society.