Constructions of Australia in pro- and anti-asylum seeker political discourse
Date
2008
Authors
Every, D.
Augoustinos, M.
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Journal article
Citation
Nations and Nationalism, 2008; 14(3):562-580
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Danielle Every and Martha Augoustinos
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Abstract
Whilst there has been a proliferation of research on the role ofnationalism in the exclusion of asylum seekers, less attention has been paid to hownationalism can be mobilised in accounts opposing, rather than supporting, harsh antiasylumseeker regimes. This paper compares the ways in which 'Australia' isconstructed and used in parliamentary speeches on asylum seekers by both refugeeadvocates and those seeking harsher asylum seeker laws in Australia. This dual focus isparticularly important as it highlights the flexibility of nationalist discourse, in that thesame constructions of the nation may be used for both exclusive and inclusivepurposes. Whilst typologies of inclusive and exclusive nationalisms, such as Smith's (1991) ethnic/civic typology, focus on the content of nationalist ideologies, we arguethat the inclusivity or exclusivity of nationalism can best be determined by examiningthe subject positions, political solutions and social realities they make possible, andwho these discourses benefit and oppress.
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The definitive version may be found at www.wiley.com
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