Activity: Multiculturalism
After watching the video by Alex Tran (Tran, 2020); a young Vietnamese resident of Inala who reflects upon his experience of learning about First Nations cultures (FNC), I have answered the following questions:
- What does it say about multiculturalism?
Multiculturalism has issues surrounding more popular/dominant cultures/groups, which make up larger numbers often overshadowing smaller minority groups such as FNC resulting in those cultural identities, traditions and beliefs not being as visible in communities.
- What does this say about cultural diversity?
Cultural diversity is not authentic without space made available for FNC. Underrepresentation of minorities compared to more popular cultures threatens genuine cultural diversity as they are not truly diverse if they are over-represented by more dominant groups than smaller minority groups. Community leaders must be more inclusive of all cultures and communities and uphold representation and opportunities for FNPs. This includes providing more opportunities for positive representation of FNP which can further support educating the broader community so all have equal opportunities to appreciate each other’s cultures without negative judgements.
- On reflection what are your thoughts about the relationship between multiculturalism and First Nation culture?
FN cultures are unfortunately often overshadowed by multiculturalism as they are underrepresented in communities, being somewhat hidden away from the more mainstream popular dominant diverse cultures within communities. This brings issues relating to a lack of understanding and education of FNC and stories with other diverse cultures. This lack of visibility brings issues relating to a lack of understanding and education of FNC and stories with other diverse cultures and can result in other diverse cultures buying into negative media resulting in division rather than positive connections.
References
Tran, A. (2020, 8 December 2020). Multiculturalism and its affects of Indigenous Australian Culture. Alex Tran. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LdBoU6zwoY
