Voices Shaping the Perspectives of Young Muslim Australians
The Voices Shaping the Perspectives of Young Muslim Australians research project is supported through a research grant from the Australian Government’s Department of Immigration and Citizenship to the UTS Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre, which leads an inter-disciplinary, interfaculty team of researchers from the University's
- Faculty of Business
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
- Faculty of Law
General Outline
This project is undertaking a social ecology of the voices that young Muslims hear, including their own, their peers and the official voices of the society and government, with the intention to develop a detailed empirical study and analysis of the social ecology of voices and voices of influence (including charismatic figures, heroes, opinion-makers, interpretative communities, governments etc) informing and shaping the political and theological perspectives of young Muslims Australians.
Social ecology requires individual, group and environmental/institutional data. For the context of this research project, social ecology is interpreted as the study of the relationship between individuals, groups and their social and cultural, political and theological – ideological environments. In social ecology, these relationships are understood as multi-directional and constantly evolving.
The research outcomes will be used by the Australian government in the strategic development of effective integration approaches as part of its National Action Plan.
Research procedure
The project requires an approach which synthesises a number of different methods, and will leverage the intellectual property in research and knowledge that the UTS team brings to the tender.
Stage 1
The research team will compile a literature review of relevant international and national research about Muslim youth in the UK, Canada and France before concentrating on that research that investigates the ‘influential voices’ – positive and negative – for Muslim youth in each of these countries.
This will be followed by a review the Australian literature (research and best-practice policy responses) to provide insights into the fieldwork that we conduct in Australia. It will allow us to identify the gaps in terms of both research and policy development in Australia.
Stage 2
The research team will ask what young Australian Muslims make of the voices that they hear and what effect what they make of them has on what they think, feel and do. In doing this, the project will engage with four levels of research:
a) individuals
b) groups – from family, to peer and friendship groups to more organised and formalised institutions
c) the institutional environment that embodies systems of communication and information, such as schools, youth groups, sports clubs, student associations, religious organisations, political groups, welfare organisations, women’s organizations, prayer rooms, mosques, major religious events, festivals, concerts, films, television, music, the online world including blogs, bulletin boards, and international online television channels
d) a literature review of relevant international and national research about Muslim youth in western societies.
Stage 3
The UTS team will describe and analyse best practice (and in some cases worst) case approaches by governments and civil society organizations and institutions to facilitating “buying in” of young Muslims to Australia’s multicultural society.
The research team
The project is being undertaken by an inter-disciplinary, interfaculty team of researchers that includes
Faculty of Business:
Professor Jock Collins, head of team
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
Professor Andrew Jakubowicz
Professor Alastair Pennycook
A/Prof Devleena Ghosh
Dr David Cole
Dr Kais Al-Momani
Ms Wafa Chafic
Faculty of Law:
Ms Jamila Hussein
