Public Sociology, An Introduction to Australian Society


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Case study

What do we mean by 'un-Australian'?
The term 'un-Australian' has been in use for many years, but gained popularity during the 1990s. In a satirical commentary for his 2005 lamb advertising campaign, "Slammin'" Sam Kekovich (media personality and former Australian Rules footballer), labelled people who did not eat lamb chops on Australia Day as 'un-Australian'. Although there are many popular examples of what 'un-Australian' really means, there has been little systematic investigation undertaken.

In their focus group study, Philip Smith and Tim Phillips (2001) gathered data from Queenslanders who were asked to 'identify concrete exemplars of the "UnAustralian"' (p. 327). These were classified into a number of themed categories such as: un-Australian people, un-Australian clubs and organisations, un-Australian activities and events, un-Australian places and values, and un-Australian beliefs and lifestyles. Participants were also categorised into six groups, and what follows is an excerpt of each group's responses concerning the theme of un-Australian 'clubs and organisations' (p. 329).

Examples of un-Australian clubs and organisations nominated by participant groups were as follows:

The Regional city group nominated the KKK, far right groups, religious fanatics and extremists, and cults.
The Urban blue-collar group nominated the tax department, government and politicians, some unions, migrants who do not learn to speak English and live in their own communities, companies that manufacture overseas, Asian students, social workers, professional students, the Caledonian Club, the Irish Club, Hitler clubs and gangs, and the Masons.
The Urban white-collar group nominated one-sided sporting crowds, soccer hooligans, the One Nation Party, groups of people from other countries, extreme right groups, Muslim groups, cults, exclusionist ethnic clubs, exclusive clubs for rich, white males, and the Masons.
The Rural blue-collar group nominated banking corporations, politicians, extreme religious sects, and fanatical groups.
The Urban elderly group nominated Iranians living in Australia who supported Iran against Australia in the World Cup soccer, migrants who don't learn English, Vietnamese and Chinese communities that 'stick together', rent-a-crowd types that appear at public demonstrations, Dutch, Scandinavian, and Italian clubs, and the government.
The NESB women group nominated the Italian Club, ethnic groups, migrants who 'whinge and then go home', the KKK, and religious sects.

The authors of the study conclude that 'there is a broadly shared conception of the 'UnAustralian' in Australian popular culture, rather than each group having sharply demarcated class, race or gender-specific interpretations' (Smith & Phillips 2001, p. 335). That said, 'un-Australian' can encompass a broad spectrum of acts, beliefs, and groups of people. In the context of globalisation and the associated anxieties that underpin rapid social change, along with the threat of terrorism, notions of national identity and social exclusion have gained a renewed salience.

Reference
Smith, P. & Phillips, T. 2001, 'Popular understandings of "UnAustralian": an investigation of the un-national', Journal of Sociology, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 323–40.

Discussion questions

Do you think there are any overall patterns in the above lists? If so, what are they?
Do you think the term 'un-Australian' is simply a catch-all expression for something or someone you dislike, and is therefore without a great deal of significance?
Make a list of things that you consider to be 'un-Australian'. Would you use that term? Why/why not?
Make a list of those characteristics that you consider to be 'Australian'.

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