‘Now I’m Part of Australia and I Need to Know What Is Happening Here’: Case of Hazara Male Former Refugees in Brisbane Strategically Selecting Media to Aid Acculturation

Abstract

Given the steady rise in the number of Hazara seeking asylum in Australia, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of media in their acculturation and to explore whether their level of English language proficiency played a mediating role in selecting certain media platforms over others. Data were collected through 29 participants completing a survey, followed by in-depth interviews with ten Hazara male youths (age ≤18 years) in Brisbane, Australia. The findings suggested that young Hazara men were very selective in their media choice. While some used media to improve their integration into Australia, others consciously chose to separate and be more “Afghan” than “Australian”. In this selection process, their self-awareness with regard to English language proficiency, coupled with how motivated they were to learn English, played a critical mediating role; certain participants who had limited English proficiency and wanted to improve it watched English language media to improve their proficiency. These media were avoided by participants with a similar proficiency who had no interest in improving it; participants representing this group resorted to Hazaragi/Dari media for information and news, instead of the local media. In this study, the latter group also displayed a separation approach of acculturation.