Aussies? Afghans? Hazara refugees and migrants negotiating multiple identities and belonging in Australia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Australia has one of the largest Hazara diasporic communities outside of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. Their identities as Hazara, Afghans, Muslims and recently arrived refugees/asylum seekers are often subject to negative representations in public discourses in Australia and compete with a dominant version of Australian identity that remains largely Anglo-centric. This research highlights the importance of agency and social context as Hazara Australians negotiate belonging and their multiple or hybrid identities. Through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with Hazara Australians, this paper explores the participants’ self-perceptions as Hazara (ethnic), Afghan (homeland), Muslim (religious), Australian (host nation), and (former) refugees, and the ways these were negotiated and experienced. The participants in this research offer a re-imagining of Australian national identity, defined by its multicultural nature and the sharing of rights and responsibilities through Australian citizenship, enabling Hazara to describe themselves as ‘Australians’ or ‘Aussies’; and to find belonging that includes their multiple identities, as Hazara/Afghans, Muslims, and former refugees.