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Greeks and the politics of Australian cosmopolitanism |
The Research Unit in Public Cultures (RUPC) and the Centre of Visual Art (CoVA) presented a public lecture by Andrew Jakubowicz, Professor of Sociology at the University of Technology Sydney, at the Greek Centre, on Wednesday 17 October 2018. Also this event provided the opportunity to launch two major reports on multiculturalism. The first report was introduced by Professor Nikos Papastergiadis, titled: “From Ethnic Enclave to Cosmopolitan Cultures: Evaluating the Greek Center for Contemporary Culture in the City of Melbourne” and authored by Daniella Trimboli, Tia Di Biase, Barry Burgan and Nikos Papastergiadis. • In 2017: The education program, which occurs throughout the year, is a leading force for cultural knowledge in the CBD. It delivers an impressive range of cultural activities that include: The research examined how arts and programs engage with diversity and investigated how multiculturalism is articulated in policy, aesthetic production and everyday cultural participation. The research was a partnership between University of Melbourne and organisations at Federal, State and Local government levels, including the Australia Council, Creative Victoria, Department of Premier and Cabinet (Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship), and the City of Whittlesea. The partnership offered a unique opportunity to examine what multiculturalism means at these different levels of policymaking and cultural programming. One of the project’s key innovations was the development of a cultural indicator framework, which highlighted the connections between cultural participation, belonging and cultural capital, and their contribution to new forms of cultural citizenship. The project also examined the question of value in the arts, and the work of multicultural artists in shifting these definitions and criteria of success and excellence. In response to these two reports, Professor Andrew Jakubowicz, was invited to make some general remarks on the developments in the Greek community and the historical role of Greeks in the formation of multiculturalism in Australia. He noted that the main argument of the Greek Community Cultural Centre review report refers to the imperative to move from multiculturalism to cosmopolitanism in public policy. He also noted that there is a struggle between conflicting theories of multiculturalism and cosmopolitanism, and that this has had an impact in the way migration policies are defined and cultural services are funded. Andrew Jakubowicz is Emeritus Professor of Sociology in the Communication School at the University of Technology Sydney. He has written widely on multiculturalism, politics and media, and has also contributed to many documentaries, including 'Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta' and 'The Great Australian Race Riot'. His most recent book with colleagues is Cyber Racism and Community Resilience (Palgrave, 2017). He runs the interactive website 'Making Multicultural Australia' (http:// multiculturalaustralia.edu.au). His reflections and analyses appear regularly on The Conversation and Pearls and Irritations. GREEK CENTRE EVALUATION REPORT (click on the image to read it) |