Andrew Theophanous.
An Interview with Dr Andrew Theophanous, speaking on rearguard actions to limit multiculturalism to the fact of cultural diversity.
1995
19 July 2002
Interview for Making Multicultural Australia, 1995.
mov (Quicktime);
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32 secs
DR ANDREW THEOPHANOUS
Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1993-96, Member of the House of Representatives, 1980-
There’s still been rearguard actions, which have tried to either get rid of multiculturalism or to limit multiculturalism to simply a kind of very low level response to the fact of cultural diversity, rather than to a positive, creative agenda, in terms of the way in which different cultural traditions can contribute to the evolution of the Australian culture, but also can bring to bear this central concept of social justice.
CONTINUATION OF INTERVIEW AS TEXT
Having failed to actually destroy the general multicultural agenda, the new approach is this guerrilla tactic: "Let’s first get rid of the term multiculturalism, then we will start getting rid of what we mean by cultural diversity. Then we will undermine the elements of social justice, and so on". I’m totally opposed to that, I think that’s wrong.
Interview for Making Multicultural Australia, 1995.
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