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Indian student concerns about violence : exploring student perceptions

journal contribution
posted on 2011-01-01, 00:00 authored by Fara AzmatFara Azmat, Angela Carrick Osborne, Ruth Rentschler
While considerable attention has been given to the spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia in 2009 and 2010, less attention has been paid to how the students who were at the centre of the furore perceived the violence. In this paper we explore the perceptions of Indian postgraduate and undergraduate male students studying in Melbourne, Australia, based on data gathered in focus groups. Analysis revealed four broad themes in students' explanations for the attacks: race hate versus opportunism, intercultural issues, systemic ineffectiveness, and media reporting. Students' perceptions of the reasons for the attacks were divided in some areas and aligned in others. There was divergence among students about whether the attacks were race hate crime or opportunistic, and about intercultural issues. Students' perceptions were aligned on issues of systemic ineffectiveness and media reporting. In the current context of decreased international enrolments from Indian students, in which we seek to better understand them, the findings provide implications for international student policy and planning priorities.

History

Journal

Australian journal of social issues

Volume

46

Issue

3

Pagination

311 - 339

Publisher

Australian Council of Social Service

Location

Strawberry Hills, N.S.W.

ISSN

0157-6321

eISSN

1839-4655

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2011, Australian Council of Social Service

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