Making a place in Footscray: everyday multiculturalism, ethnic hubs and segmented geography

ABSTRACT

In this article, we explore through analyses of interviews the meanings and experiences of everyday multiculturalism in a suburb in Melbourne, Australia. The people we interviewed valued and experienced diversity in different, yet interrelated ways: as an experience of multiculturalism, as providing comfort in diversity and as embodied in ethnic hubs in a segmented geography. Everyday racism can make forging belonging and connections across diverse ethnic groups difficult. Yet, Footscray is constructed as a place in which diversity is regarded as normative and protective. Our focus on a local suburb has allowed us to develop insight into the diverse ways identities are constituted through multiple understandings and experiences of diversity.

KEYWORDS:

• Everyday multiculturalism
• Footscray
• place-making
• ethnic group
• belonging

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jenny Lawlor for her assistance with conducting interviews and Peter Haffenden for his advice about the recruitment and interview processes.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a College of Arts Research Grant, Victoria University, awarded to Dr. Nicole Oke.