What is my national identity?
To begin with, my view on national identity is that it’s a sense of belonging to a certain nation or state. But without a feeling of belonging to Australia, does that mean I don’t fall under the same category as other Australians? Throughout this journey of figuring out my identity in relation to Australia, I am going to explore what it means to be an Australian. I want to find out whether we as a people have an ideal or set view of our collective identity, or whether we embrace and celebrate multiple identities. I've been interested in the topic of personal identities since I learnt the meaning of identity. I've always been trying to put into words what and who I was, but the words always failed me. I learnt about patriotism and national identity, and both of these notions confused me. I still don’t see the point of patriotism or feeling pride from where you’re from, because it doesn't really matter to me. My borders don’t define me, and borders don’t define a culture. So this whole inquiry is to figure out what national identity really means.
To start off my learning journey with I need to know the Australian values; without these there is no way of showing what an Australian citizen is expected to value, and how they’re meant to express these values. As stated by the Dept. of Immigration and Border Protection (2007), Australian values include:
· respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual
· equality of men and women
· freedom of religion
· commitment to the rule of law
· support for Parliamentary democracy
· a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play, compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good
· equal opportunity for individuals, regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background
The Dept. of Immigration (2007) says “the values may not be unique to Australia, but they have broad community agreement and underpin Australian society and culture”. I know that without being an Australian citizen, I would still value freedom and equality, so if it’s not unique to Australians, then why are they considered Australian values? I would consider these my personal values, so they’re attributed to my personal identity.
The dot points saying that an Australian will value commitment to law, I think that I’d fall nicely into the very Australian term: larrikinism; larrikinism is often seen as the irreverence & mockery of authority and disregard for rigid norms of propriety. It has been said that larrikinism began as a reaction to corrupt, arbitrary authority during Australia's beginning days as a penal colony, and/or as a reaction to norms of propriety brought in by officials from Britain (Queanbeyan Age, 1892). Considering this, I wonder how much history impacts on national identity?
The Dept. of Immigration also states that this list of values is likely to be expressed differently by individuals, but that their meaning to everyone remains the same.
National identity must also partially be geographic. You wouldn't see much surfing obsession in a landlocked country, would you? So geographically, what makes an Australian?
There is a huge beach-going culture, and typically Australians are either thought of to be “chilled out” beach goers, or a Simpsons-esque knifey-spoony type of person. Is the geographical aspect about being proud of where I'm from? Because I see no difference between states, and there is very little different between the Australian people and those of other countries. So every sense of patriotism or being proud to be an Australian is void. I am not proud, simply because there is no reason to be. Australia’s border is the ocean; lots of other countries are just like lines in the sand with a stick, a border doesn't hold much back. In this massive island of 7.69 million square kilometres, is there even one thing that defines us as Australian apart from rules and regulations that claim we belong here?
Australia also administers Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos (or Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Heard and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory (42% of the continent) as external territories. Do people in these areas classify themselves as Australians? If so, this is another mass of land to add to the largest island, so how can we have something that links in with all of our personal identities?
We have native animals and plants that are often symbols of Australia, but that doesn't really define the humans that live here. If anything that brings more people here on touristy adventures, and with them new cultures are introduced. Australia is made up of many different cultures, and what most people think of the beginning of Australia was the arrival of the British approximately 225 years ago. This takes away from the Aboriginal culture that already existed at the time. In fact, Aboriginal people weren't counted as Australian citizens until the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 and even then the Aboriginal people weren't counted in the Australian population until after a 1967 referendum. So what difference does civics and citizenship make to our national identity?
The idea that there was such a thing as Australian nationality (a nationality distinct from a British one) was considered by the High Court of Australia (1906) to be a "novel idea." So our concept of an Australian national identity must therefore be a recent one.
Australia is economically sound, with one of the strongest economies in the world. As a country with a lot more privilege than others, does economic status change our identity as a people?
I think, as a society ran by money, this is one of the largest impacts on our national identities. It changes our quality of living, and makes more opportunities for our citizens. Something to research in relation to identity, is how socio-economic status effects people in their daily lives. I'm unsure as to whether it makes much of an effect on who we are as people, but just how we live our lives. I know there's a direct correlation between the two, but I can imagine Australians to carry on in their particularly optimistic nature even if thrown into poverty. That's not to say that there's a correlation between money and happiness... or money and the desire to give it away. I've worked for a few charities before, and it's always the richer communities that are less willing to contribute. Whereas in the poorer communities there are always a lot of people signing up to help others out. I think this is something for my own research; it may be able to slot into identity, but it may not.
To begin with, my view on national identity is that it’s a sense of belonging to a certain nation or state. But without a feeling of belonging to Australia, does that mean I don’t fall under the same category as other Australians? Throughout this journey of figuring out my identity in relation to Australia, I am going to explore what it means to be an Australian. I want to find out whether we as a people have an ideal or set view of our collective identity, or whether we embrace and celebrate multiple identities. I've been interested in the topic of personal identities since I learnt the meaning of identity. I've always been trying to put into words what and who I was, but the words always failed me. I learnt about patriotism and national identity, and both of these notions confused me. I still don’t see the point of patriotism or feeling pride from where you’re from, because it doesn't really matter to me. My borders don’t define me, and borders don’t define a culture. So this whole inquiry is to figure out what national identity really means.
To start off my learning journey with I need to know the Australian values; without these there is no way of showing what an Australian citizen is expected to value, and how they’re meant to express these values. As stated by the Dept. of Immigration and Border Protection (2007), Australian values include:
· respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual
· equality of men and women
· freedom of religion
· commitment to the rule of law
· support for Parliamentary democracy
· a spirit of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play, compassion for those in need and pursuit of the public good
· equal opportunity for individuals, regardless of their race, religion or ethnic background
The Dept. of Immigration (2007) says “the values may not be unique to Australia, but they have broad community agreement and underpin Australian society and culture”. I know that without being an Australian citizen, I would still value freedom and equality, so if it’s not unique to Australians, then why are they considered Australian values? I would consider these my personal values, so they’re attributed to my personal identity.
The dot points saying that an Australian will value commitment to law, I think that I’d fall nicely into the very Australian term: larrikinism; larrikinism is often seen as the irreverence & mockery of authority and disregard for rigid norms of propriety. It has been said that larrikinism began as a reaction to corrupt, arbitrary authority during Australia's beginning days as a penal colony, and/or as a reaction to norms of propriety brought in by officials from Britain (Queanbeyan Age, 1892). Considering this, I wonder how much history impacts on national identity?
The Dept. of Immigration also states that this list of values is likely to be expressed differently by individuals, but that their meaning to everyone remains the same.
National identity must also partially be geographic. You wouldn't see much surfing obsession in a landlocked country, would you? So geographically, what makes an Australian?
There is a huge beach-going culture, and typically Australians are either thought of to be “chilled out” beach goers, or a Simpsons-esque knifey-spoony type of person. Is the geographical aspect about being proud of where I'm from? Because I see no difference between states, and there is very little different between the Australian people and those of other countries. So every sense of patriotism or being proud to be an Australian is void. I am not proud, simply because there is no reason to be. Australia’s border is the ocean; lots of other countries are just like lines in the sand with a stick, a border doesn't hold much back. In this massive island of 7.69 million square kilometres, is there even one thing that defines us as Australian apart from rules and regulations that claim we belong here?
Australia also administers Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos (or Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Heard and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory (42% of the continent) as external territories. Do people in these areas classify themselves as Australians? If so, this is another mass of land to add to the largest island, so how can we have something that links in with all of our personal identities?
We have native animals and plants that are often symbols of Australia, but that doesn't really define the humans that live here. If anything that brings more people here on touristy adventures, and with them new cultures are introduced. Australia is made up of many different cultures, and what most people think of the beginning of Australia was the arrival of the British approximately 225 years ago. This takes away from the Aboriginal culture that already existed at the time. In fact, Aboriginal people weren't counted as Australian citizens until the Australian Citizenship Act 1948 and even then the Aboriginal people weren't counted in the Australian population until after a 1967 referendum. So what difference does civics and citizenship make to our national identity?
The idea that there was such a thing as Australian nationality (a nationality distinct from a British one) was considered by the High Court of Australia (1906) to be a "novel idea." So our concept of an Australian national identity must therefore be a recent one.
Australia is economically sound, with one of the strongest economies in the world. As a country with a lot more privilege than others, does economic status change our identity as a people?
I think, as a society ran by money, this is one of the largest impacts on our national identities. It changes our quality of living, and makes more opportunities for our citizens. Something to research in relation to identity, is how socio-economic status effects people in their daily lives. I'm unsure as to whether it makes much of an effect on who we are as people, but just how we live our lives. I know there's a direct correlation between the two, but I can imagine Australians to carry on in their particularly optimistic nature even if thrown into poverty. That's not to say that there's a correlation between money and happiness... or money and the desire to give it away. I've worked for a few charities before, and it's always the richer communities that are less willing to contribute. Whereas in the poorer communities there are always a lot of people signing up to help others out. I think this is something for my own research; it may be able to slot into identity, but it may not.
http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/shaping-our-culturally-responsive-selves
This website includes lessons about learning your own multicultural identity. It's a good beginning to identity, as the students explore their own multiculturalism and their identities. They learn how cultures shapes the different views and actions of different people, and that there are different ways of conveying respect, assertion, etc... in different places around the world.
This website includes lessons about learning your own multicultural identity. It's a good beginning to identity, as the students explore their own multiculturalism and their identities. They learn how cultures shapes the different views and actions of different people, and that there are different ways of conveying respect, assertion, etc... in different places around the world.
http://www.tolerance.org/activity/examining-identity-and-assimilation
Another activity from tolerance.org that helps students understand their identity and the difficulties they, or other people, may face with them. It teaches not to discriminate against anyone because of their differences, and to celebrate your own differences. One of these activities asks the students to imagine a physical attribute of theirs leaving them, and to write a goodbye letter to this part of them. This asks the question "how would you feel if you had to conceal or let go a part of your identity?"
The essay it comes with (http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_magic_carpet.pdf) tells the story of a person who used to always hear stories from her father in their native tongue. But soon she started reading stories written from a different culture and written through different eyes. She talks about how she wanted to leave her culture behind, and so she started straying away from the sun so she wouldn't get darker skin, and began asking her mother to not wear her sari when she came to pick her up from school. Eventually she wanted to hear her fathers stories again, because the stories would take her away from the city and place her in a palace. She wanted more children to understand that there are certain stories in THEIR cultures that can't be translated and still hold the same meaning.
I think this essay is a good starter on how and why you should value your heritage and where you're from/where you are. The writer is asking people not to hide parts of their identity just so they can reach a social norm.
Another activity from tolerance.org that helps students understand their identity and the difficulties they, or other people, may face with them. It teaches not to discriminate against anyone because of their differences, and to celebrate your own differences. One of these activities asks the students to imagine a physical attribute of theirs leaving them, and to write a goodbye letter to this part of them. This asks the question "how would you feel if you had to conceal or let go a part of your identity?"
The essay it comes with (http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_magic_carpet.pdf) tells the story of a person who used to always hear stories from her father in their native tongue. But soon she started reading stories written from a different culture and written through different eyes. She talks about how she wanted to leave her culture behind, and so she started straying away from the sun so she wouldn't get darker skin, and began asking her mother to not wear her sari when she came to pick her up from school. Eventually she wanted to hear her fathers stories again, because the stories would take her away from the city and place her in a palace. She wanted more children to understand that there are certain stories in THEIR cultures that can't be translated and still hold the same meaning.
I think this essay is a good starter on how and why you should value your heritage and where you're from/where you are. The writer is asking people not to hide parts of their identity just so they can reach a social norm.