Politics, Media and Campaign Language: Australias Identity Anxiety by Stephanie Brookes

Author:Stephanie Brookes [Brookes, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Media & Internet, Campaigns & Elections, Political Science, Political Process, Communication Studies, Language Arts & Disciplines, General
ISBN: 9781783086771
Google: jk5GDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Anthem Press
Published: 2017-04-03T12:39:38+00:00

A Classic Migrant Success Story

In these constructions of Australian migration and multiculturalism, the group constructed as the mainstream is rewarded both for its tolerance and its material support for immigrants by the contributions that those who are positioned this way make to national prosperity. The legacy of these discourses was clear in the 2007 election, where conservative prime minister John Howard drew on the themes of skills, cultural compatibility and integration when discussing immigration. Howard employed the discourse of immigrant success, one of few positive mainstream media discourses through which so-called ethnic minorities are constructed. In response to a talkback radio question about the recent death of high-profile businessman John Ilhan, Howard (2007a) outlined the economic contributions Ilhan had made to Australian society and praised his ability to fit into the Australian way of life. He tapped into key markers of desirability to represent Ilhan as a ‘classic migrant success story’:

He came to Australia from Turkey at the age of three, had four children, he worked hard, he made a lot of money but he gave a lot back to the community. He was very philanthropic, the whole range of charities […] And, on top of that, of course, he was very passionate about Australian Rules.

This language echoes more than a century of campaign constructions of usefulness and presents an image of the kind of immigrants of which Australians can be proud. Howard links these particular personal stories more broadly to the values of entrepreneurial hard work and community involvement that characterize the Australian Liberal tradition. This is a discursive strategy he used again, a month later, when launching the Coalition’s ‘Go For Growth’ economic policy in Sydney. Howard (2007e) told the audience that he had visited the Vivo Café that morning, and described its owners, Angela and Con:

They started their businesses in 2003 and in that short period of time they have won numerous small business awards. They really are a wonderful metaphor for the modern Australia. Both of their parents emigrated to Australia in the 1950s from Greece, they both love Greece but they love Australia even more […] they were very much the modern face of the optimistic, entrepreneurial successful small business Australia.

Howard placed John Ilhan and Angela and Con within a familiar narrative of Australianness and connected them to the values of the small business owners and so-called battlers at the core of his constituency. There is a strong economic aspect to this discourse, where the ability and willingness of immigrants to contribute to national prosperity eases anxiety about the cultural links they may retain. This construction also demonstrates the resonance of assumptions of essential difference between groups, and the preference for ‘Western’ (European or American) immigrants as more likely to become ‘good Australians’. Howard’s language both welcomes and rejects, outlining markers of successful inclusion that carry a trace of the immigrants who do not fit in as successfully as Angela and Con, and cannot be welcomed into the national community in the same way. He

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.