The Museum of Victoria about Indigenous Items and Lifestyle, Science, History - Assignment Example

Field Report and Essay University’s Name: Submitted by Names: Tutor: Date: Assignment No. 1: Field Report Question Two Overview of Museum of Victoria The Museum of Victoria can be traced back in the 1854 when the National Museum of Victoria was developed under the leadership of Fredrick McCoy. The Museum of Victoria was established under the Australian Museum Act of 1983 that ratified the formation of museums in the country (“Museum Victoria”, 2004). Currently, the Museum of Victoria has a collection of more than 16 million objects that talk about indigenous items and lifestyle, science, history, and the development of technology in Australia, especially in Victoria. (Museum Victoria, 2004) A lot of developments and activities took place before the Museum of Victoria came into existence. The intention to establish the Museum of Victoria started in Government Assay Office located in Latrobe Street, where the structure of the museum was first displayed in 9th March 1854. The management of the museum started by displaying items like minerals, geological specimen, and other fossils of plants and animals. In 1858, Fredrick McCoy was appointed the director of National Museum and he saw the development and expansion of the museums in Autralia (“Museum Victoria”, 2004). Due to the increased exploration of the world, McCoy ensured that museums expanded by ensuring that new specimen were brought in and he also ensured that they were exchanged with other curators and collectors across the world. He brought inn artists like Becker and Bartholomew to illustrate museum specimen. The focus of the museums then was ornithology, entomology, and mineralogy. Due to the increased desire to showcase modern applied science and the history of Australia to the people who were visiting the museum, the successive directors of the institution had been striving to build another convenient museum. Therefore, in 1983, the Museum of Applied Science and Technological Museum were merged together to form the Museum of Victoria. The initial primary objective of the Museum of Victoria was to come up with the exhibition for the sesquicentenary of European settlement in Victoria (“Museum Victoria”, 2004). Thereafter, the museum has been focusing on the various sophistications and social history of Victoria. It also showcases Victoria’s cultural diversity and history of the indigenous people in Victoria and Australia at large. (Museum Victoria, 2004) How Museum of Victoria Illustrates the Experience of Indigenous People in Australia The population of indigenous people in Australia was estimated to be 517,200 in the year 2006, which was about 2.5% of total population in Australia. It was also estimated that the total number Victoria’s indigenous people in 2006 was 30,800, which was estimated to be 6% of the total number of indigenous people in the whole of Australia (Roberts, 2008). The Aboriginal and the Torres are the two main indigenous people in Australia and their history is well captured in the Museum of Victoria through various exhibitions found in the museum. The Museum of Victoria uses various exhibitions to illustrate the experience of indigenous people, especially in Victoria. It illustrates the cultural, social, political, and economic experience of the indigenous people found in Australia. The presentation of the indigenous people in the Museum of Victoria illustrates the experience o f indigenous people in Australia by focusing on how they have been struggling to maintain their independence lifestyle despites oppression, suppressive policies, and the welfare state in Australia. The museum of Victoria explains how indigenous people have struggles to maintain their rights and dignity both politically and in their daily lives. Therefore, the key themes that are showcased in the museum about indigenous people in Australia include dispossession of rights and privileges and the encounter of indigenous people and the non-indigenous people in Australia. One of the key things that come out in various exhibitions on the indigenous people by the Museum of Australia is that they are regarded as inferior people who are not even able to control their lives. In one of the exhibition known as “Lake Tyers-The Keep Out Sign”, the Museum of Victoria illustrates how indigenous people were denied the rights even in their own land. For instance, the Aboriginal who were staying around the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Reserve were not allowed to access the reserve because the management feared that they could enter with alcohol and even steal items. The Museum of Victoria goes ahead to explain the life of the indigenous people who were staying around the reserve and even those who were employed by the management of the reserve. The management ensured that the rules guiding the residence were tougher and the management ensured that they controlled the lives of the indigenous people who were residing there. The indigenous people were denied the rights to express their customs, cultures, and even their languages. The indigenous people who were employed by the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Reserve management were hardly paid and only a few were employed. In addition, the aboriginal residing in the reserve could not be allowed to move in and out as they please and even some of the people who left to work outside could not be allowed to enter on return. Therefore, those who were tasked with the responsibility of managing the reserves, who were majorly the non-aboriginals, came up with strict rules that were aimed at governing the lives of Aboriginal people. Various exhibitions and pictures of the aboriginals in the Museum of Victoria show that despite the fact that Australian government came up with policies that were encouraging the assimilation of the Aboriginals in the wider Australia society, the behavior towards the indigenous people was still paternalistic in nature. The dispossession of the rights and freedom of the indigenous people was sometimes very violent and it led to death, injuries, and the distortion of their culture. However, despite the unfavorable behavior against Aboriginal people in Australia, they continued to fight for their rights and personal freedoms. For instance, the exhibition by the museum of Victoria shows that in 1960s the Aboriginal people residing in Lake Tyers protested against the closure of the reserve and they also refused to be relocated to another area, which was not their birthplace. In addition, the Aboriginals went ahead to write a petition to the Australian parliament as they demanded the right to own their ancestral land and to manage it themselves. There protest bore fruit when the Aboriginal Land Act of 1970 was enacted to allow them own the land. The above representation of the history of the indigenous people by Museum of Victoria illustrates how the non-aboriginals and the government mistreated the indigenous people. It shows that the indigenous people were regarded as lesser being in the Australian Society. Their rights were violated by the same government that was supposed to protect them. The story of the Aboriginal people in Lake Tyers in the Museum of Victoria also shows that the indigenous people continued to fight for their rights and freedoms despites the oppressive policies and regimes. The unity of indigenous people in Australia helped them to regain their dignity, rights and freedoms. The Museum of Victoria illustrates that land was the main conflict between the indigenous people and the government and the non-indigenous people in Australia. When explaining the two laws that existed in Australia, the museum illustrates how land issue was emotive in the late 18th century and how the indigenous were suppressed. The colonies and early Australia government refused to recognize the indigenous law due to the perception that Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders were not developed compared to the European people who invaded their land. The colonies believed that the knowledge and property relations of indigenous people in Australia were not as sophisticated as theirs, which make them to view Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders as inferior human beings who did not deserve the right to own land. The “Two Laws” explained by the Museum of Victoria focuses on the indigenous people interns of their knowledge, rights, freedom, and property in the country. It explains the conflict between the Indigenous Law and the Anglo-Australian Law, which shows that indigenous people are not valued in Australia compared to the non-indigenous people in the country. The “Two Laws” as explained by the Museum of Australia also shows that deliberate policies have been enacted in Australia to suppress the indigenous people who seemed to be regarded as minority in the country (Roberts, 2008). The indigenous are perceived to be less equal to the non-endogenous people in Australia. In conclusion, therefore, Museum of Victoria, through the exhibitions and various photos, illustrates that indigenous people in Australia, especially Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been oppressed, suppressed, and mistreated by the colonies and the Australian government. The colonies believed that they were inferior beings who did not deserve rights and freedoms. Consequently, they denied the indigenous people the right to own their property, land, and also violated their human dignity. The Australian government, on the other hand, used suppressive policies and laws to suppress and oppress indigenous people in Australia. However, the struggle among indigenous people to regain their rights, freedom and dignity has continued and has borne some fruits. But indigenous people in Australia are yet to enjoy the full freedom enjoyed by other groups in Australia despite the attempt by the government to come up with policies and laws that ensure equality in the society. Assignment 2: Major Essay Question 7: Racism in Australia Racial is a complex social problem that is found in many settlers countries found in many countries across the world like Australia, the United States, and Israel, among many others. Racism is potential in any country where immigration is a factor in the population due to the diversity of the people (Forrest and Dunn, 2007). However, the nature of racism varies from one settler country to another. For instance, in the US, racism practices are common between the Blacks and the Whites while in Canada racism is seen in the cultural pluralism. There is general perception that racism is inevitable in settler countries that accommodate people across the globe. Therefore, the essay seeks to determine whether Australia, one of the settler countries, is a racist country. The evolving nature of racism has made it difficult to come with clear definition of the term racism. Consequently, the definition of racism differs from one country to another, from one scholar to another, and from one person to another. Therefore, racism has become a dynamic and contested concept, which makes it hard to determine whether it exists and eliminating has been difficult (Forrest and Dunn, 2007). For a long time, racism in Australia has been associated with social class and the level of education in the society. Racism in Australia is also associated with national ethnocentrism, which always manifests itself in the “Australianess” and “othersness” among the people residing in Australia. However, many people argue that multiculturalism dominates Australian society, some elements of racism is still found in Australia. There are a number of studies that indicate that Australia is a racist country while other have found that it is not a racist society. A study carried out by University of Western Sydney found out that a significant percentage of Australians are tolerant people who respect diversity and other cultures in the country (Coslovich, 2011). The same study revealed that many Australians are comfortable living in a multicultural society, as many Australians feel secure with many cultures that are in the country. Almost 85% of the Australians who participated in the study were comfortable with many cultures and people of different race in the country (Coslovich, 2011). However, some of the people who participated in the study agreed that some races are inferior and they would the races to be separated. The study found that the majority of people with racism attitude are aged people, those with tertiary education, and the people who only speak English. In addition, the majority were male who were naturally born in Australia. The study concluded that the level of racism in Australia is insignificant because only one out of people who participated in the survey had a racist attitude and view the minority groups as inferior. Another study that was carried by Dr Helen Szoke found that racism still exists in Australian and her findings made her believe that Australia is a racist country. In a research that was dubbed “Challenging Racism”, about 80% of Australians still believe that is an issue that should be addressed in Australia. 20% of the people who participated in the studied agreed that they had experienced some form of race-have talks like verbal abuse or some offensive signs (Szoke, 2012). Another 11% of the participants agreed that they had received some race-related at the work place or in the social settings while 6% had experienced physical attacks due to their race. The study further found out Australians who were born abroad are most likely to experience racism than those people who are born in Australia. The two studies show that there is a controversial debate on whether Australia is a racist country or not. The two examples are scientific studies that were expected to give almost similar findings on the state of racism in Australia. But the difference only confirms the fact that the definition of racism vary from one scholar to another and from one person to another. It is therefore important to analyze various definitions of racism to determine whether Australia is a racist country or not. However, both the studies have indicated that there is some level of racism in Australia. Many scholars have argued that Australia is experiencing contemporary racism, which is associated with historical constructions of the nation identity of Australia as a society (Szoke, 2012). The historical construction helps in defining who belong and who does not belong in Australia. The intolerance of the indigenous people in Australia is a form of racism associated with various stereotypes in the country (Nelson, 2013). The stereotypes about other minority in the country like Asians and Muslims are some of the forms of racism that are common in Australia. In addition, a research by UNSW showed that 45% of the participants said that there are certain cultural groups that should not be allowed in Australia or should be separated with other groups. Asians and Muslims were some of the groups that were suggested by the participants who showed racist attitude (Nelson, 2013). The old racism thinking where people think that certain racial groups should be separated from others and that some of the racial groups are more superior than others is still popular among Australians. UNSW survey on racism in Australia confirmed this whet it found that old racist sentiments is common in Australia. Racism has also been found to be dominant in the social institutions that are found in Australia. The indigenous people have been found to be experiencing the highest rate of racism in the social institutions in Australia. However, the people speaking LOTE at home are more likely to experience racism in the workplace that the people who only speak English (Nelson, 2013). Some studies have found that the rate of racism experienced by indigenous people, those born outside Australia, and people speaking LOTE is higher in almost all social institutions than the non-indigenous people found in Australia. Therefore, some level of racism is found in almost all sectors in Australia. There are some racism-related scenarios that have occurred in Australia that make some local and international bodies to believe that Australia is a racist country. For instance, in 2012, Trenton Oldfield protested the organization of Oxford and Cambridge boat race on the basis that the events promote elitism in the society (Nelson, 2013). Oldfield, when threatened with deportation, he argued that he should be allowed to continue to stay in England because he feared facing extreme racism in Australia due to the fact that his wife comes from India. The situation made the world as a whole to believe that Australia is a racist society where people from other races are not allowed. The vilification of one of the American, Solomon Denis, in 2009 in Australia also took a racism dimension and he argued that he vilified due to racism in Australia. The above two example can also convince the world to believe that Australia is a racist society. Despite the fact that one could be using the term racism to seek sympathy from the public both locally and internationally, the two examples portrayed Australia as a racist country. Once people have believed that there are some elements of racism in a place or country, it mostly likely for such country to be labeled as a racist county. Therefore, some people outside Australia believe that it is a racist country where the minority has no place. One sector that has been accused with racism in Australia is the police. According to a study that was carried in Victoria by a group of researchers in 2007, Non-English speaking people in Australia are more likely to receive some form of harassment and discrimination from the police that the people born in Australia (Marriner, 2014). The research found that one in every thirty nine people who do not speak English only is likely to be discriminated against and harassed by the police. Even though the number may be insignificant, the study still indicates that there is some level of racism in Australia. The level of harassment in the public transport sectors has also been reported to be high in Australia with people being asked where they come from. Some people have also complained that getting a job in Australia is determined by the middle age of interviewees, especially among the people having Middle Eastern-sounding names. The same treatment has been reported in the rental houses where the identity determines whether one will get a house or not. A research by Mapping Social Cohesion found that almost 19% of Australians experience some form of discrimination due to their color, country of origin, and religion (Marriner, 2014). The results of the survey by Mapping Social Cohesion were worried of the trend and they attributed increased racism in Australia to high level of economic uncertainty and the nature of political leadership in the country, as the researchers argued that the government watered down the act that prohibits racial discrimination in Australia. Going by the findings of various scientific studies on racism in Australia, one can argue that racism is still high in Australia and that the act is likely to continue despite multiculturalism. There are some people who argue that Australia is not a racist country while some people argue that racism is still popular in Australia. However, the majority of the studies that are reviewed in this essay point that there is some racism in Australia. A significant number of people who were interviewed and participated in various studies were found to be having some racial attitudes. The majority of people who were found to be having racist attitude are people who were born in Australia and only speak English. They believe that there are some racial groups that should be separated from others. Racism attitude is found both at personal and institutional level. Therefore, one can conclude that Australia is a racist country. However, it is possible to argue that racism cannot be at level zero in settler country like Australia where people from different racial, religious, and ethnic group are found. It is also possible to argue that it is hard to completely eradicate racism in a country once it is internalized among people and institutionalized in a country. People are likely to have some stereotypes that they associate with other people who belong to other racial and religious groups. One is therefore likely to ask whether it is possible to completely eradicate racism and whether Australia can be a racism-free country. Reference List Coslovich, G. (2011). In a tolerant society, racists hear this: your race is run. Retrieved January 28, 2016 from http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/in-a-tolerant-society-racists-hear-this- your-race-is-run-20110225-1b8hz.html Forrest, J. and Dunn, K., (2007). Constructing racism in Sydney, Australia's largest EthniCity. Urban Studies, 44(4), pp.699-721. Retrieved January 28, 2016 from http://www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/29408/A291.pdf Marriner, C. (2014). Racism on the rise in Australia: migrants report cultural shift. Retrieved January 28, 2016 from http://www.smh.com.au/national/racism-on-the-rise-in-australia- migrants-report-cultural-shift-20140405-365a5.html Museum Victoria, 2004. A history of Museum Victoria. Retrieved January 28, 2016 from http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/a-history-of-museum-victoria/ Nelson, J.K., (2013). Denial of racism and its implications for local action. Discourse & Society, 24(1), pp.89-109. Retrieved January 28, 2016 from http://www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/426960/Nelson_2013_Denial_of_raci sm_and_its_implications_for_local_action.pdf Roberts, J., (2008). Analysis of the representation of Indigenous Australians in mainstream print media: An exploration centred on the social determinants of health (Doctoral dissertation, La Trobe University). Szoke, H. (2012). Racism exists in Australia – are we doing enough to address it? Revived January 28, 2016 from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/speeches/racism-exists- australia-are-we-doing-enough-address-it Read More