Examine how and why the issue of 'race' affected/affects my life in diverse ways and how this links into existing 'race' related theories.

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Introduction The following text is a form of writing that I have experimented with for the first time. Its structure is far removed from the conventional form of academic writing (a form that I am most familiar with as a second year university student). My intention is to examine how and why the issue of ‘race’ affected/affects my life in diverse ways and how this links into existing ‘race’ related theories. Being a Fiji Indian woman living in Australia and completing a degree in early childhood education, the issue of ‘race’ most certainly impacts on both my personal and professional life in many ways. You will see that this paper is written in two columns. My personal experiences and viewpoints related to the issue of ‘race’ (an element typically hidden in academic essays) will be discussed and explored in the right-hand column. In the left-hand column I will speak with an academic voice. I will outline some theoretical views dealing with the issue of ‘race.’ Both columns tie in and complement each other in both direct and subtle ways throughout this piece. One may choose to read one column at a time in any order or, one may choose to read it by constantly jumping across both columns to distinguish the connections made.   Ever since the British colonisation of Australia, where racialised policies were introduced that ‘conflated race and culture, notions of cultural incompatibility and racism have continued to be interwoven in our society’ (Larbalestier, 1999, p. 2). For this reason, notions of ‘whiteness’ then signals the idea of a continuing and imperative monotony of a core Australian identity. This notion however, is a mere social construction that disregards the cultural diversity of Australia’s population since 1788 (Larbalestier, 1999). This notion also contradicts the reality of Australia’s history, as the land was first populated with Aboriginals.This social construction leads to the discourse of ‘whiteness’ signifying power and privilege. That is, ‘white’ becomes an entitlement as being a raceless identity. Being ‘white’ therefore, becomes the invisible norm in society. It is for this reason, that many ‘white’ Australians identify the ‘Australian Community’ and multiculturalism as the ‘white race’ and its ‘others’ (Larbalestier, 1999, & Sleeter, 1999). This notion of belief makes it difficult to speak of Australia as a multicultural society, as the term ‘others’ compartmentalises the diverse range of cultures rather than orchestrating them into the society to form a new and a far more realistic
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identity. As explained by Robinson and Jones-Diaz (1999), those people who are located outside the dominant discourse, in this case the non-whites, will frequently ‘experience inequities, diminished power, and little or no support from the dominant culture for their ‘truths’ about the world. ‘Consequently, one’s subjectivity and power will be constructed by the discourses that are historically and culturally available to them’ (Robinson & Jones Diaz, 1999, p. 4).Schools are directly involved in the development of ideologies in their students, including racial ideologies. Therefore, schools must be populated with teachers who bring diverse worldviews and experiences that ‘expose, challenge and ...

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