Refugee youth seeking social belonging in the context of Australian multiculturalism

Abstract

Laura Moran presents an analysis on how young migrant and refugee people in Brisbane, Australia, make and represent their identities as they seek to belong in friend groups and networks. Moran demonstrates how the multiculturalist framework in Australia expose refugee and migrant youth to a variety of conflicting expectations about self-representation. More specifically, while these young people are often expected to adapt and integrate into Australian society, their identities are highly racialized and fixed as outsiders with an emphasis on tolerance. Young refugees in Brisbane, then, absorb, negotiate, and respond to the competing messages about integration and tolerance and forge a sense of who they are and where they belong to. Asserting that children and youth are at the center of transnational migration and multiculturalist inclusion, Moran seeks to depict a comprehensive picture of how young refugees, as both outsiders and insiders of the Australian society, form their identities and belonging.

Instead of measuring the successes and failures of the multicultural ideals by expecting refugee youth to prove their integration to society and participation in the tolerance rhetoric, the book points out the importance of understanding the perspectives and frames of youth as forms of participation. The book is exceptionally legible and accessible, as it is written clearly and concisely and is available as an Open Access volume. It will appeal to scholars and students across disciplines – such as education, anthropology, sociology, geography, ethnic studies, political science, social work, and public administration – as  well as to general public that is interested in human rights, migration, youth, race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism.