‘You feel you’re not alone’: how multicultural festivals foster social sustainability through multiple psychological sense of community

Abstract

Recognizing the limited research on social aspects of sustainability in event studies, this paper seeks to understand how multicultural festivals promote and deliver social sustainability through the facilitation of multiple psychological sense of community for attendees. By considering refugees and ethnic minority immigrants, it also addresses the gap at the nexus of events and marginalization for under-researched groups in critical event studies. Focusing on the New Beginnings Festival, an arts and culture festival for migrant communities in Sydney, Australia, we sought to gain a better understanding by addressing this knowledge gap. A qualitative research approach was applied with data collected through participant observation, in-the-moment conversations, and semi-structured interviews. Applying the theoretical framework of Psychological Sense of Community as well as the concept of Multiple Psychological Sense of Community, we present the Festival Multiple Psychological Sense of Community (FMPSOC) model with three interconnected levels of community facilitated by the festival: Ethnic, Migrant and Mainstream. The model enables critical event scholars, event organizers and local governments alike to understand how multicultural festivals contribute to the social sustainability of their communities. It also provides a basis for evaluating this contribution and identifying areas for improvement.

Keywords:

• Multicultural festival
• social sustainability
• multiple psychological sense of community
• migrants
• adaptation process
• well-being

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Najmeh Hassanli

Najmeh Hassanli is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney Business School. Her research interests lie in the areas of social sustainability and ethical responsibility in small/micro businesses, and the role of events for under-represented and marginalized populations in society. She combines her academic degrees in Business (Tourism & Events Management) with her passion for community work to concentrate on small, community-embedded businesses and events. The calibre of her research is well demonstrated through her publications in international high-quality journals and books.

Trudie Walters

Trudie Walters is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Tourism, University of Otago, Ōtepoti/Dunedin, Aotearoa New Zealand. Her research platform is centred on events and leisure as interdisciplinary lenses through which to understand the inner workings and values of society. Dr Walters has five distinct programmes of research, all firmly positioned within a social science framework while clearly linking into the applied reality of events and leisure as social phenomena, areas of academic research, global industries, and practices. She serves on the Boards of the World Leisure Organisation and the Australia and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies. Locally, she is a Trustee on the VSP Charitable Trust which organises festivals and events celebrating all things Ōtepoti/Dunedin.

Janine Williamson

Janine Williamson is an Adjunct Research Fellow with the University of South Australia Business School and operates her own research consultancy one7nine. With an excellent understanding of business principles and practices and a breadth of successful leadership experiences, she has delivered positive commercial outcomes in educational, business and community settings. In addition to creating and operating her own micro enterprises, Janine has gained experience in the development and management of social enterprises. Janine's research interests include Sustainable Tourism, with a focus on SMEs and regional development, Consumer Behaviour, Aboriginal Enterprise, and Graduate Employability.