You Have to Be Anglo and Not Look Like Me': Identity Constructions Of
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NOTE This online version of the thesis may have different page formatting and pagination from the paper copy held in the Swinburne Library. ‘YOU HAVE TO BE ANGLO AND NOT LOOK LIKE ME’: IDENTITY CONSTRUCTIONS OF SECOND GENERATION MIGRANT- AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ZULEYKA ZEVALLOS BA HONS (SOCIOLOGY) SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy for the School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology September 2004 ABSTRACT My thesis explores the social construction of identity of 50 second generation migrant- Australian women aged 17 to 28 years using a qualitative methodology. I conducted in- depth semi-structured interviews with 25 women from Latin American backgrounds and 25 women from Turkish backgrounds. My study investigated the intersections of ethnicity, gender, sexuality and nationality. I found that the Latin women constructed their ethnic culture in reference to their country-of-origin traditions, and that they also identified with a pan-ethnic Latin culture that included migrants from other South and Central America countries. I found that the Turkish women constructed Turkish culture in reference to their religious practices, and they saw themselves as ‘Muslim-Turks’ who identified with an Islamic pan-ethnic culture that included Muslim migrants from different national backgrounds. The women in both groups drew upon Anglo-Australian culture when it came to their gender and sexuality constructions. The Latin and Turkish women did not see themselves as ‘typical’ women from their migrant communities. Instead, their sense of femininity was informed by what they saw as Australian egalitarianism. The women in both groups saw Anglo-Australians’ gender relationships as an ideal, and as one woman said of Anglo-Australians, ‘how much more equal can you can get?’ The women’s social construction of the nation was equally influenced by multiculturalism and an Anglo-Australian identity. They highly valued their Australian citizenship and felt positive about their lives in Australia. At the same time, they had faced ongoing racism and they reported that other people judged their Australian identities through racial characteristics. One woman said that in order for people to be accepted as Australian, ‘you have to be Anglo and not look like me’. Despite this sense of social exclusion, the majority of my sample held hybrid migrant-Australian identities. I develop a threefold typology of the women’s identities, and I found that 13 women did not see themselves as Australian, 36 women saw themselves as partly-Australian, and one woman held an exclusively Australian identity. I argue that narratives of multiculturalism and Anglo-Australian identity influenced the women’s social construction of identity. Their belief that Australian identity was multicultural was at odds with their experiences of racism and their own self identities, and so I examine the women’s beliefs in reference to an ‘ideology of ii multiculturalism’. This ideology supported the women’s contribution to the nation as second generation migrants, and ultimately, they expressed an unwavering support for Australian multiculturalism. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to the 50 fascinating women who allowed me to interview them: you have my eternal gratitude for your stories, your time and for allowing me insight into your lives. Thank you to my two supervisors, Dr. Michael Gilding and Dr. Katharine Betts, for your patience and support throughout this project. You have always encouraged me and offered me your wisdom. I draw inspiration from each of you and I am forever indebted to you for your mentorship. Mi sincera gratitud para mi familia: Mum, Rob, Frank, Paola, Sarah y Valentina. Espero que sepan cuanto su apoyo significa para mi durante estos siete años y medio que yo he estado estudiando. Gracias por las sonrisas y por enriquecer mi vida con su cariño. To the people who read drafts of my thesis and took the time to discuss my work with me – I owe you big time! Special thank you to Janet Wheeler, Karen Farquharson and Meg Carter. Thank you to Liss Ralston who helped me with the map used in my thesis. Finally, I offer a special message to the two women whose friendship over the past three and a half years has kept me motivated. Paola and Janet, without you, I might have fallen into a thesis abyss, but due to your understanding, kindness and laughter, I have finally arrived at the end of this chapter of my life. I appreciate how fortunate I have been to have you both in my life during such a challenging and awesome time. iv DECLARATION This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. To the best of my knowledge, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. Signed_______________________________________________ Dated________________________________________________ v TABLE OF CONTENTS ‘YOU HAVE TO BE ANGLO AND NOT LOOK LIKE ME’ IDENTITY CONSTRUCTIONS OF SECOND GENERATION MIGRANT-AUSTRALIAN WOMEN ...................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements...................................................................................................... iv Declaration.....................................................................................................................v Table of contents.......................................................................................................... vi List of figures ............................................................................................................. viii List of tables....................................................................................................... …..viiix CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .........................................................................1 CHAPTER TWO: SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED IDENTITIES ............................8 2:1 Ethnicity.............................................................................................................12 2:1:1 Defining ethnicity .......................................................................................12 2:1:2 Social constructionist theory of ethnicity ...................................................20 2:1:3 The social construction of second generation ethnicities ...........................24 2:2: Gender and sexuality ........................................................................................31 2:2:1 The social construction of gender...............................................................31 2:2:2 The social construction of heterosexuality .................................................35 2:3: Nationality ........................................................................................................43 2:3:1 Civic and ethnic nationality ........................................................................43 2:3:2 Multicultural and Anglo-Australian narratives of national identity ...........45 2:4: The social construction of Latin and Turkish identities in Australia................51 2:4:1 Latin American migrants in Australia.........................................................51 2:4:2 Turkish migrants in Australia .....................................................................56 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................59 Research objectives..............................................................................................61 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY .................................................................63 3:1 The study............................................................................................................65 3:1:1 Origins of the study.....................................................................................65 3:1:2 The sample..................................................................................................66 3:2 Analysis..............................................................................................................78 3:2:1 Data collection ............................................................................................78 3:2:2 Data analysis ...............................................................................................81 3:3 Reflections on the research process ...................................................................84 3:3:1 Researcher as ‘insider’ and ‘outsider’.........................................................84 3:3:2 Limitations of the study ..............................................................................88 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................89 CHAPTER FOUR: ETHNICITIES ..........................................................................90 4:1 Latin-Australian ethnicity ..................................................................................91 4:1:1 Constructing culture....................................................................................91 4:1:2 Constructing religion ................................................................................104