A new history on migrants and television

A new co-authored book from Kyle Harvey explores migration, television and cultural diversity in Australia since 1956.

The recently published Migrants, Television and Australian Stories: A New History looks broadly at the television industry, and the writers, producers, directors, actors and technical staff of migrant backgrounds who contributed to its rich and varied development. The book also looks at migrants as television audiences, tracing how those who arrived in Australia watched television, learning about Australian society and custom in the process.

At the same time, the book covers the past and present of exclusion and inclusion on screen, something common in television comedies. Racist portrayals of diverse communities in Australian-made shows were broadcast at the same time as comedies like Acropolis Now (Crawford Productions, 1989-92), made by first- and second-generation migrants and demonstrating a self-deprecating celebration of their non-Anglo identities.

Chinese Australian writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law, interviewed for the book about his co-written television comedy The Family Law (Matchbox, 2016-19), writes that the book is "an invaluable and insightful examination of how far we’ve come in showcasing our stories and communities, and a reminder of how far we’ve yet to go".

Harvey and his co-authors were recently interviewed by screen creator and director Pearl Tan, broadcast on ABC Radio National's Big Ideas program. Listen here.

The authors have also written for The Conversation about migrant contributions to Australian television, and the broader trends amidst this rich and complex history. Read the article here.

Kyle Harvey is a Research Fellow on the Australian Research Council project Comedy Country: Australian Performance Comedy as an Agent of Change.

Contact: Kyle Harvey

Email: kyle.harvey@monash.edu