'Mixed-race' young Australians' experiences of racism, identity and belonging in multicultural Australia

Despite growing international research documenting patterns and expressions of racism, and resulting harmful effects, many questions remain unanswered, particularly in contemporary Australian society. One group that remains on the margins of social cohesion and racism research are ‘mixed race’ or ‘mixed-ancestry’ individuals. In Australia, this group is increasing in size and is part of a wider global community touted to be the Western world’s cultural future. For the first time, this project provides national-level mixed-method empirical data regarding the experiences of young (15-35 years old) mixed-race Australians. Drawing upon a national survey and interviews, this project will assist us in understanding the ways in which we can ensure this emergent cohort are accommodated in future multicultural discourses and agendas.

This project is guided by the following research objectives:

1) To examine the type, frequency, and location of experiences of racism and how they may vary across subgroups (gender, age, ethnicity)

2) To evaluate the impacts of these racist experiences on targets (such as access to social and economic opportunities, sense of identity and feelings of belonging) and social cohesion

3) To investigate how ‘mixed race’ young Australians negotiate their identities and intersectional subject positions (race, ethnicity, class, gender etc) in multicultural Australia

4) To evaluate the potential for ‘mixed race’ Australians to work as anti-racism advocates and provide new ways to understand ‘race’, social relations/cohesion, diversity, inclusivity, and multiculturalism.

Project Team

Dr Alanna Kamp (Western Sydney University)

Project Partners and Funding

This project was funded by a Western Sydney University ECR Development Fellowship (2021)