Interfaith Peacebuilding in Regional Australia: Religious Diversity and Its Management in Toowoomba by Samuel Hogan BA, BSocSc (Hons) Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Deakin University December, 2019 Acknowledgments The journey of writing this thesis has been the most challenging and rewarding experience. I am indebted to many people for helping me in various ways throughout the years of study. I would like to thank Deakin University and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences for accepting me as a PhD candidate. Thank you to Professor Andrew Singleton. Your selfless time and care were an invaluable source of motivation and inspiration. Thank you to Associate Professor Anna Halafoff. Your insight and encouragement helped me grow as a social scientist. A special thank you to the interview participants who generously shared their perspectives on religion in Toowoomba. I also wish to acknowledge the editorial assistance of Dr Floriana Badalotti, Artelingua. Floriana edited the thesis for language, English expression, and consistency. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends who supported me when I needed it most. iii Abstract To date, the research on emerging religious diversity in Australia has paid little attention to the impact of religious change outside the major capital cities. The cir- cumstances and experiences of a regional city such as Toowoomba, QLD, with a high concentration of Christians, a diversity of religions including Buddhism, Hin- duism, and Islam, and an increasing proportion of those with no religion, has not previously been researched. Utilising an ‘emic’ approach, and drawing on 25 in- depth interviews with religious leaders and policy makers, this study explores how social actors in a regional context respond to issues of religious change. The find- ings reveal that one important actor – the local Buddhist Pure Land Learning Col- lege Association’s (PLLCA) Multi-Faith Multicultural Centre (MMC) – has signif- icantly changed interfaith dialogue, interaction and activism in Toowoomba. The PLLCA MMC’s initiative of transforming Toowoomba into a ‘Model City of Peace and Harmony’ has been modestly successful in managing religious diversity through social outreach programs and as an interfaith peacebuilding response to local mosque arson attacks, far-right political campaigns, and neo-Nazi propa- ganda. This study analyses this interfaith, peacebuilding strategy and presents a new explanatory theory for understanding the lived, everyday realities of religious change, the management of religious diversity, and the resolving of religious con- flict in a regional setting. iv CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................. iv List of Figures ........................................................................................................ x List of Tables ........................................................................................................ xii Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 Setting the Scene ................................................................................................. 3 Aims of the Study……………………………………………………….. .......... 4 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................ 6 Part One: Quantitative Data Chapter 1 The Demographics of Religious Change in Toowoomba ............... 12 The Contours of Religious Change in Australia ............................................... 13 Cross-National Comparison of Religious Change ............................................ 20 Religious affiliation in England and Wales ................................................... 20 Religious Affiliation in Canada ..................................................................... 22 Religious Affiliation in New Zealand ............................................................ 24 International Trends .......................................................................................... 26 Growth of World Religions in the West ......................................................... 27 Cross-national Census Data Trends in Summary ......................................... 29 Religion in the Regional Context of Toowoomba ............................................. 30 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 37 v Part Two: Literature Review Chapter 2 Literature Review ............................................................................. 38 The Contemporary Sociocultural Context ......................................................... 39 Secularisation ................................................................................................ 40 Post-Secular Society ...................................................................................... 42 Religious Diversity ............................................................................................ 43 The Management of Religious Diversity ....................................................... 44 Bouma’s Theory of the Management of Religious Diversity ......................... 45 The Perception of Minority Religions ........................................................... 48 Negotiating Religious Diversity in Australia: The Case of Islam ..................... 52 Religious Diversity and the Interfaith Movement in Post 9/11 Australia ..... 53 Islamophobic Discourse ................................................................................ 54 Multiculturalism in Australia: Policy Efforts to ‘Manage’ Diversity ............... 57 Models of Multicultural Management ........................................................... 62 Religion and Community Studies ..................................................................... 67 Community Studies and Religion .................................................................. 68 International Perspectives ............................................................................. 71 Religious Tension within the Community ...................................................... 72 Positive Community Initiatives ...................................................................... 74 The Interfaith Movement ................................................................................... 76 Case Studies of Interfaith Networks .................................................................. 79 Faith on the Avenue ....................................................................................... 79 Victorian Multifaith Networks ....................................................................... 81 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 84 Part Three: Method vi Chapter 3 Methods .............................................................................................. 89 The Informants .................................................................................................. 90 Interview Questions ........................................................................................... 95 Data Collection .................................................................................................. 96 Analytical Strategy ............................................................................................ 98 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 101 Part Four: Religious Diversity and its Management Chapter 4 Garden City on the Darling Downs: Actor Perspectives of Religion in Toowoomba ................................................................................................... 103 History of Toowoomba and the Darling Downs ............................................. 104 Social Features of the Toowoomba Region .................................................... 107 Demographic Composition of Toowoomba ................................................. 107 Sport and Recreation ................................................................................... 108 Garden City Tourism ................................................................................... 109 Economic Development ............................................................................... 110 A Personal Experience of Toowoomba ........................................................... 112 Introducing the Interview Participants ............................................................ 113 The Religious Environment ............................................................................. 116 Christian Legacy? ............................................................................................ 121 The Case for Plurality ...................................................................................... 131 vii A Change for the Better? ................................................................................. 140 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 144 Chapter 5 A Curious Actor? Religious Diversity and its Management ....... 147 The Concept of Management .......................................................................... 149 Perspectives on the Management of Religious Diversity ...............................