Using buzzwords of belonging: everyday multiculturalism and social capital in Australia

This paper examines the concepts of multiculturalism and social capital, their
relationship with each other and how these concepts are utilised by different
interested parties in Australia. In the context of the United States of America and
the United Kingdom, some commentators and scholars have argued that
multiculturalism can have a negative impact on the fostering of social capital.
These arguments are described before examining the same debate in Australia.
However, the emphasis of this article is its description of how ethnic minorities
and migrants on the one hand, and community organisations that assist these
groups on the other, make use of the notions of multiculturalism and social
capital to either legitimise their place in Australia or to effectively advocate for the
social and economic utility of investing in programs that address problems faced
by these groups. With data gathered through interviews and ethnographic
fieldwork in Melbourne and Sydney, the authors demonstrate how the debates
that scholars and commentators engage in are sidestepped by migrants and by
those who seek to assist them and how they use these concepts in a positive
manner and in a way in which no other concepts can be used with the same
efficacy.