Work

Narratives of nationhood: Young Australians’ concepts of nation and their attitudes towards ‘boat people’

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: In Australia, questions surrounding national identity often feature in public discussions on asylum seekers. Using qualitative interview data collected from 40 participants in an ongoing study of young people in Queensland, we explore the connections between young people’s understandings of Australian national identity and their attitudes towards ‘boat people’. We identify distinct points of interconnection and disjuncture between participants’ notions of being ‘Australian’ and their thoughts on how Australia should respond to asylum seekers. With respect to the asylum seeker debate, we find narratives of Australian nationhood are flexible in interpretation and can serve contrasting and competing functions.

Source: Journal of Sociology

DOI: 10.1177/1440783317704991

Authors: Jacqueline Laughland-Booÿ, Zlatko Skrbiš, Bruce Tranter

Institutions: Monash University, University of Tasmania

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: Australian Research Council

Awards: Social Futures & Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland: Waves 6 & 7, Social Futures and Life Pathways of Young People in Queensland: Waves 2 and 3 of Longitudinal Study, Social futures and life pathways of young people in Queensland: waves 4 and 5 of a longitudinal study, Social Futures, Orientations and Identities of Young People in Queensland