ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the twenty-first century major social, political and economic changes have led to the redrawing of the international map of ethnic diversity. Long-established ethnic minorities have experienced major changes in their situation and circumstances in their countries of residence while the growth of diverse forms of international population movements have introduced new patterns of ethnic diversity, often in countries which have viewed themselves as ethnically homogeneous. The growth and diversity in international migration occurs within the framework of globalization which, since the middle of the 1970s, has been associated with the expansion and diversification of international trade and the growth of multinational enterprises. Politically, globalization has been seen as calling into question the ability of individual states to control developments within their own territory. Globalization, through the increasing technical and institutional ability to transmit cultural practices and content, is also implicated in undermining the cultural autonomy and distinctiveness of individual societies. Whereas globalization is an abstract process focusing internationally on political, economic and cultural institutions, transnationalism refers to the specific movements and relationships of people and groups which link individuals from common ethnic backgrounds across national borders. The impact of these changes in ethnic diversity and the relationships associated with globalization and transnationalism have been felt both in long established and homogeneous states and in countries which have traditionally been viewed as countries of immigration, open to the entry of ethnically diverse populations. Australia is one such country whose national development has long been predicated on extensive immigration which has been actively controlled and managed by the state. How the state, and society, have responded to the new circumstances and challenges is the focus of this chapter.
