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Identity & Belonging

Identity & Belonging

Concepts of identity and belonging are crucial in the contemporary mobile world. Increasingly large numbers of people are relocating temporarily or permanently for many different reasons. These circumstances mean that for many, ideas of identity and belonging are somewhat elusive, particularly for those from diverse backgrounds. Despite the elusiveness, themes relating to the concepts of identity and belonging are everyday realities for large sections of Australia’s population and beyond. This thematic area focuses on diaspora, identity, belonging, inclusion/exclusion, cultural diversity, transnationalism and more generally how individuals make sense of migration experiences. Within this context, of interest is global and regional migration including both rural and urban population movements, and the responses of new and receiving communities.

Portfolio lead:

Associate Professor Helen Forbes-Mewett

Featured publication:

Forbes-Mewett, H. (Ed.) 2020.Vulnerability in a Mobile World. Emerald Publishing Ltd: Bingley, UK.

Migration, Mixed-marriage and Integration in Australia

This project aims to reveal the prevalence, experience and variations of ethnic and religious mixed marriage in Australia, which will guide policies that facilitate social integration and cohesion. The implications of a lack of integration have been demonstrated by recent events in Europe and US, which reflect strong anti-immigration tendencies. This project expects to generate new understanding in social integration by using new theoretical and analytical models and combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The intended research outcome is to produce new sociological knowledge of ethnic/religious mixed-marriages that will advance cultural understanding and assist policies that foster social integration of cultural groups.

See further information here.

INVEST: International students' sexual and intimate partner violence experiences

This project investigates sexual and intimate partner violence against female international students in Australia. It aims to generate world-first data identifying the nature, circumstances and impacts of the problem and explore experiences and help-seeking needs.

Webinar and panel discussion: Bringing Back our International Students

Image by University of the Fraser Valley' (CC-BY)

Image by University of the Fraser Valley' (CC-BY)

The Monash Migration and Inclusion Centre brought together a panel of experts from both sides of the Tasman for our webinar ‘Bringing back our international students: The future of international education across Australia and New Zealand’ in the context of COVID-19.

Australia and New Zealand are major education exporters and the current COVID-19 crisis has presented great challenges to the sector, education institutions, and international students and their families. Challenges include changing student cohorts, different modes of teaching, increased concern about visas and the provision of health care and other support services. These dimensions among others will likely play a crucial role in bringing back our international students.

A feature of Monash University’s Social Sciences Week 2020 program, the webinar was hosted by MMIC's Deputy Director, Associate Professor Helen Forbes-Mewett with an introduction from Professor Sharon Pickering, Dean of Arts, Monash University contextualize the topic.

The expert panel members included:

Professor Chris Ziguras School of Global Urban and Social Studies, RMIT

Brett Berquist, Director, International, The University of Auckland

Trish Behan is a Senior Teacher at Macquarie University English Language Centre.

Chris Beard, Executive Director, International Student Advisers’ Network of Australia, (ISANA), New Zealand

A recording of the full webinar can be found here.

Research brief ‘International students and mental health’

Understanding beyond-life choices in CALD Australians

Dr Helen Forbes-Mewett undertook a leading role in this project (with Associate Professor Gil-Soo Han), working with the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) and the Victorian Government Cemeteries and Crematoria Regulation Unit, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). This project was designed specifically to provide new insights that will underpin the future planning and policy of both SMCT and DHSS and contribute to the social cohesiveness of Australia’s culturally diverse population by enabling desired beyond-life choices relating to funerals and memorialisation. The project team had a specific interest in advancing understandings of Baby Boomers, Christians and other Culturally Diverse groups. The project gathered information about their perceptions, experiences and plans regarding end-of-life decisions and funerary practices. Using a combination of questionnaires and interviews, the project will canvas the opinions and experiences of a diverse range of communities.

Visit the project website here.

Latest publications and resources

Books:

Forbes-Mewett, H. (Ed.) 2020.Vulnerability in a Mobile World. Emerald Publishing Ltd: Bingley, UK.

Forbes-Mewett, H 2018, The New Security: Individual, Community and Cultural Experiences, Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Journal articles:

Forbes-Mewett, H. 2020, 'The future of international students in Australia hangs in the balance', Open Democracy, 10 Nov 2020.

Wang, W., Han, G-S., Forbes-Mewett, H. 2020, 'Community stakeholder and opinion formation towards end-of-life planning in the Chinese community in Australia'. Death Studies. DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2020.1815101

Forbes-Mewett, H, Han, G.S & Wang, W.Y 2020, 'Together Here, Now and Forever: Chinese Immigrants’ Belonging in Australia, Family, Ethnicity and Memorialisation', Journal of Intercultural Studies, (online first).

Forbes-Mewett, H, Schermuly, A & Hegarty, K 2020, ‘Aspirational Individuals, Hopeful Communities: Histories and Subjectivities of Precarity in Regional Australia’, Critical Sociology, https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920520903470.

Trung-Nguyan, K, Forbes-Mewett, H & Arunachalam, D 2020, 'Social Support from Bonding and Bridging Relationships in Disaster Recovery: Findings from a Slow-onset Disaster', International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, vol. 46.

Forbes-Mewett, H. (2020) 'Vulnerability and Resilience in a Mobile World' Journal of International Students, vol. 10, no.3, online first.

Forbes-Mewett, H & Pape, M. L 2019, 'Social Capital and the U.S. College Experiences of International Student-Athletes and Non-Athletes', Journal of International Students, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 777-794.

Schermuly, A. C & Forbes-Mewett, H 2019, 'Police legitimacy: perspectives of migrants and non-migrants in Australia', Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 50-63.

Han, G-S., Forbes-Mewett, H. and Wang, W 2018, 'My own business, not my children's: Negotiating funeral rites and the mobility and communication juncture among Chinese migrants in Melbourne', Mobilities, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 761-775.

Book chapters:

Gan, J & Forbes-Mewett, H M 2019, 'International students’ mental health: An Australian case study of Singaporean students’ perceptions', in K. Bista (ed.), Global Perspectives on International Student Experiences in Higher Education: Tensions and Issues, Routledge (Research in Higher Education), Abingdon Oxon UK, Routledge, pp.228-242.

Forbes-Mewett, H 2018, 'Responsibility', in B.A. Arrigo & G.J. Golson (eds.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Surveillance, Security, and Privacy. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Reports:

Wickes, R, Grossman, M, Forbes-Mewett, H, Arunachalam, D, Smith, J, Skrbis, Z, Dellal, H & Keel, C 2020 'Understanding the context of racial and cultural exclusivism: A study of Melbourne neighbourhoods' Social Cohesion Research Grants Program, Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Forbes-Mewett, H 2019, Mental health and international students: Issues, challenges and effective practice, Melbourne, International Education Association of Australia (IEAA).

Forbes-Mewett, H, Wickes, R, Markus, A & Nguyen, K 2018, 'International Students in Australia: A literature review of key issues over the last 20 years', Scanlon Foundation, this included employment, housing, education, language, among other major concerns, Commissioned Project.

Wickes, R, Forbes-Mewett, H, Markus, A, Keel, C & Powell, R 2018, 'Chinese and Indian Migration and Belonging in Australia. Commissioned Project', Scanlon Foundation.

Research briefs:

Forbes-Mewett, H 2020, 'International students and mental health' MMIC Research Brief 2, June 2020.

Online seminars and webinars:

Online seminar 'Coronavirus and it's impacts on international students: International education in a time of global disruption' in partnership between MMIC and RMIT, 10 February 2021.

Webinar 'Bringing back our international students: The future of international education across Australia and New Zealand', 8 September 2020.