Using buzzwords of belonging: everyday multiculturalism and social capital in Australia

Abstract

This paper examines the concepts of multiculturalism and social capital, their relationship with each other and how these concepts are utilised by different interested parties in Australia. In the context of the United States of America and the United Kingdom, some commentators and scholars have argued that multiculturalism can have a negative impact on the fostering of social capital. These arguments are described before examining the same debate in Australia. However, the emphasis of this article is its description of how ethnic minorities and migrants on the one hand, and community organisations that assist these groups on the other, make use of the notions of multiculturalism and social capital to either legitimise their place in Australia or to effectively advocate for the social and economic utility of investing in programs that address problems faced by these groups. With data gathered through interviews and ethnographic fieldwork in Melbourne and Sydney, the authors demonstrate how the debates that scholars and commentators engage in are sidestepped by migrants and by those who seek to assist them and how they use these concepts in a positive manner and in a way in which no other concepts can be used with the same efficacy.