Work

Civic duty or cultural erasure? Navigating social markers of acceptance for Asian immigrants in Australia

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Despite Australia's celebration of diversity, the integration of Asian immigrants remains structurally precarious. This paper critically examines the gap between policy rhetoric and lived reality, arguing that the prevailing framework conflates necessary normative-civic duties (e.g., rule of law) with implicit cultural assimilation, thereby enforcing Anglo-Celtic norms as hidden prerequisites for belonging. By synthesizing the Social Markers of Acceptance (SMA) framework with Gramsci's hegemony and Bourdieu's cultural capital, we analyze how integration criteria are constructed and policed. Our analysis reveals a “double bind”: while “achieved” markers like language proficiency are theoretically attainable, they are frequently elevated to impossible standards of cultural mimicry. Concurrently, “ascribed” markers (race) function as dynamic gatekeepers, rendering Asian inclusion conditional upon economic utility rather than identity indispensability. To resolve this tension, the study proposes a paradigm shift from “precarious multiculturalism” toward “systemic inclusion,” urging a clear distinction between essential civic compliance and the coercive displacement of cultural heritage.

Source: Social Sciences & Humanities Open

DOI: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.102395

Author: Nguyen Ly Trong Tin

Institutions: Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,180