Genocide or a Failure to Gel? Racism, History and Nationalism in Australian Talk

Abstract

In a context of wide media attention to public debates about the social, political and epistemic entitlements of different groups within Australian society, an understanding of the rhetorical resources and the discursive work doen by differing constructions of `race', has become an important local issue. This article examines data from discussions between two groups of (non-indigenous) university students on a range of contemporary issues concerning race relations in Australia. Participants drew on four common discursive themes when discussing Aboriginal people. These were: an imperialist narrative of Australian history exculpatory of colonialism; an economic-rationalist/neo-liberal discourse of `productivity' and entitlement managing accountability for a contemporary Aboriginal `plight'; a local discourse of balance and even-handedness which discounted the seriousness of discrimination and racism in Australia; and a nationalist discourse stressing the necessity of all members collectively identifying as `Australian'. These interpretative resources are illustrated and discussed in terms of their rhetorical organization and social consequences. The international pervasiveness of a range of modern racist tropes and the local cultural specificity of their working-up are discussed.

'You can't do it ... it's theory rather than practice': staff use of the practice/principle rhetorical device in talk on empowering people with learning disabilities

“…By using these contrast structures, speakers persuasively achieved distancing from the injustices of the past, and therefore undermined the legitimacy of the view that their current practice may be controlling in any way. This was similarly observed in Augoustinos et al's (1999) study on racist talk, where participants distanced themselves from accusations of overt racism by using distanced footing and attributing racism primarily to the older generations.…”

Neo-conservative racist discourse: A Canadian case study

“…Martha Augoustinos, Keith Tuffin, and Mark Rapley, for example, have sought to identify patterns of talk and rhetoric in discussions of race relations in Australia (Augoustinos et al 1999). They recorded and anaylzed conversations among two groups of non-indigenous university students on issues pertaining to race relations in Australia, and found that the students' discourse displayed features of what has been characterized as "modem racism".…”

Qualitative Research and Subjective Impressions in Educational Contexts

“…Some researchers (e.g. [17,18]) have overcome the problem of controlling the one-to-one interview by setting up group discussions, usually in small groups. However, this could cause other ethics-related problems; for example, one member of the group may not practice confidentiality or may show lack of respect to the other participants.…”