Abstract
When a newly arrived immigrant group runs afoul of the major institutions in their adopted country, it becomes acutely difficult to develop a sense of belonging. This was the fate of Sudanese refugees who were settled in Melbourne in the first decade of the twenty- first century. They ran afoul of a police force that discriminated against them on the grounds of race and that led to media coverage which stereotyped them as associated with crime and violence (Nolan, Farquharson, Politoff, and Marjoribanks 2011). In turn, this created a climate of public opinion which the minister for immigration was able to exploit by pandering to right- wing fears of the ‘Other’ in an election campaign notable for its racist virulence. In these ways, the institutions of police, media and parliament showed themselves prejudiced. Fortunately, the institution of the judiciary proved to be a bulwark against this prejudice, leading to a measure of justice for some of those on the receiving end of harsh and unjust treatment, particularly by the police.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Australian Media and the Politics of Belonging |
Editors | D Nolan, K Farquharson, T Marjoribanks |
Place of Publication | London |
Publisher | Anthem Press |
Chapter | 6 |
Pages | 105-120 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Edition | 1 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781783087785 |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |