issue 1 09 - APS Member Groups - Australian Psychological Society

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Multiculturalism and Whiteness38but also Irish and Scottish descendents whowere once omitted from the privilegedcategory.Author NoteA version of this paper was presented at theannual conference of the Australian CriticalRace and Whiteness Studies conference held inAdelaide in December 2007.AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank the participants of thisstudy who took time out to share theirexperiences. We also want to thank the editorand two anonymous reviewers for the feedbackthey provided on an earlier draft.Address correspondence toLütfiye AliSchool of Social Sciences and PsychologyVictoria UniversityPO Box 14428Melbourne City MCMelbourne 8001Phone +61 3 99199588Fax +61 3 99194324email lutfiye.ali2@live.vu.edu.auThe Australian Community Psychologist Volume 21 No 1 June 2009
39Accessing ‘Authentic’ Knowledge: Being and Doing with the SudaneseCommunityJay M. MarloweFlinders UniversityComing from backgrounds where issues of trust have often been violated, accessing reliableinformation from resettling refugee populations can be fraught with dilemmas. Those tryingto document these people’s lives without recognising the politics of memory and the dangerof re-traumatisation can potentially serve to further silence the narratives of those who haveexperienced difficulties associated with forced migration. This paper reports on theresearch process and the necessity of elevating the voices of Southern Sudanese menresettling in Adelaide, Australia to better understand how they have responded to traumaticexperiences. Finding empowering approaches that assist these men in expressing their livedexperience and future aspirations in sensitive and respectful ways can make progresstowards further realising the liberation and well being of those beginning to create a newlife far from home. The process of accessing ‘authentic’ knowledge is discussed byforwarding an imperative to establish a relationship with the refugee community. Thisrelationship is further qualified by differentiating ‘being’ and ‘doing’ for those wanting tosupport and better understand resettling refugee populations.“You cannot fix a leaking roof in thenight.” (Interview participant)Sudanese resettlement and successfulintegration in Australia remains a controversialand topical issue within current political andsocial debates. During October 2007, the thenImmigration Minister Kevin Andrews arguedthat Sudanese people were failing to integrateinto the fabric of Australian society. He statedhis concern that some groups of refugees "don'tseem to be settling and adjusting into theAustralian way of life as quickly as we wouldhope" (Hart & Maiden, 2007). Thesecomments angered and frustrated the Sudanesecommunity and many support organisationsworking to assist them. The evidence used byAndrews was questionable and illustrated aSudanese Dinka proverb, “You can not fix aleaking roof in the night.” A participant in thisstudy noted the limited voice that the Sudanesecommunity had to respond:IsaiahKevin Andrews’s comments relateto a Sudanese saying that says,“While you are a crocodile in yourcountry, when you go to anotherpeoples’ country, you will be alizard.” Can you see the differencebetween a lizard and a crocodile?JM Yes, there is a big difference.IsaiahThat was what Kevin Andrews wasdoing. He said those things becauseit is his country.While there is a growing body ofknowledge, little is still known about theexperiences, hopes and aspirations of Sudaneserefugees resettling within Australia. Those whohave experienced forced migration have oftenlived through dangerous and traumaticsituations where distrusting others could beseen as functionally adaptive survival strategy(see Kohli, 2006). Thus, it is perhaps not toosurprising that accessing reliable informationfrom those resettling can be fraught withchallenges acknowledging the power disparitybetween crocodiles and lizards.Telling stories are a universally sharedhuman experience. However, the ‘type’ ofstory that is told may vary depending upon theaudience, sociocultural norms, time, place andnotions of power. Further, the inherent fluidityof story and expression brings forthcontroversial and contested notions of what‘truth’ and ‘authenticity’ might actuallyrepresent. Acknowledging this difficulty, thereThe Australian Community Psychologist Volume 21 No 1 June 2009
Page 2 and 3: 2Office Bearers of the APS College
Page 4 and 5: General Information4The Australian
Page 6 and 7: Editorial6Psychologist. With this i
Page 8 and 9: The Construction of Muslims as “O
Page 10 and 11: Muslim, Racism and Media10old fashi
Page 12 and 13: Muslim, Racism and Media12rightfull
Page 14 and 15: Muslim, Racism and Media14distance
Page 16 and 17: Muslim, Racism and Media16incompati
Page 18 and 19: Muslim, Racism and Media18This disc
Page 20 and 21: Muslim, Racism and Media20that psyc
Page 22 and 23: Muslim, Racism and Media22injustice
Page 24 and 25: 24Multiculturalism and Whiteness:Th
Page 26 and 27: Multiculturalism and Whiteness26emb
Page 28 and 29: Multiculturalism and Whiteness28spe
Page 30 and 31: Multiculturalism and Whiteness30Aus
Page 32 and 33: Multiculturalism and Whiteness32res
Page 34 and 35: Multiculturalism and Whiteness34del
Page 36 and 37: Multiculturalism and Whiteness36NSW
Page 40 and 41: Accessing Authentic Knowledge40is a
Page 42 and 43: Accessing Authentic Knowledge42Nort
Page 44 and 45: Accessing Authentic Knowledge44pers
Page 46 and 47: Accessing Authentic Knowledge46or p
Page 48 and 49: Accessing Authentic Knowledge48The
Page 50 and 51: 50Differences in Resilience and Uni
Page 52 and 53: Resilience and Adjustment52entry st
Page 54 and 55: Resilience and Adjustment54competen
Page 56 and 57: Resilience and Adjustment56reported
Page 58 and 59: Resilience and Adjustment58that the
Page 60 and 61: Resilience and Adjustment60change i
Page 62 and 63: 62Understanding and Assisting Exces
Page 64 and 65: Excessive Videogame Playing64Despit
Page 66 and 67: Excessive Videogame Playing66progre
Page 68 and 69: Excessive Videogame Playing68order
Page 70 and 71: Excessive Videogame Playing70belong
Page 72 and 73: Excessive Videogame Playing72for th
Page 74 and 75: Excessive Videogame Playing7412. Do
Page 76 and 77: Giving Psychology Away76alleviation
Page 78 and 79: Giving Psychology Away78coalitions
Page 80 and 81: Giving Psychology Away80own needs
Page 82 and 83: Giving Psychology Away82psychology
Page 84 and 85: Reflections on Implementing an Educ
Page 86 and 87: Education support programme86Aborig
Page 88 and 89:
Education support programme88acquir
Page 90 and 91:
Education support programme90active
Page 92 and 93:
Education support programme92cultur
Page 94 and 95:
Education support programme94overal
Page 96 and 97:
Education support programme96that f
Page 98 and 99:
Education support programme98A25757
Page 100 and 101:
Education support programme100Assoc
Page 102 and 103:
102Using the SPECS Model to Explore
Page 104 and 105:
New Paradigms in Health Psychology1
Page 106 and 107:
New Paradigms in Health Psychology1
Page 108 and 109:
108A Case for More Culture in Commu
Page 110 and 111:
States of Micronesia110with 57.6% s
Page 112 and 113:
States of Micronesia112alcohol, Mar
Page 114 and 115:
States of Micronesia114activity set
Page 116 and 117:
States of Micronesia116healthy comm
Page 118 and 119:
States of Micronesia118succumbing t
Page 120 and 121:
States of Micronesia120evaluation f
Page 122 and 123:
States of Micronesia122conquest of
Page 124 and 125:
Manuscript preparation124page, abst
Page 126:
The Australian Community Psychologi
show all

issue 1 09 - APS Member Groups - Australian Psychological Society

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?