Ethnic as a (Non) Class Factor of Social Inequality and Diversity - Research Paper Example

Ethnic as a (non) class factor of social inequality and diversity Name Date Course Contents Ethnic as a (non) class factor of social inequality and diversity 1 Contents 2 Executive Summary 2 Introduction 3 Literature Review 3 Methodology 5 Results/discussion 6 Conclusion 7 List of References 8 Appendices 9 Executive Summary Ethnic factor has increased inequalities among the members of the society. People of a certain ethnic group tend to identify themselves with a certain country of origin. Most countries encourage the members of their ethnic group living in Diaspora to return to their country of origin. Oppression of the members of different ethnic groups who are immigrants has been taking place over the years. The immigrants from different ethnic groups usually face a lot of challenges like racism and unemployment which contributes to inequality. However, the members of different ethnic groups have different cultures which create diversity that can unite the people. Introduction Social inequality and diversity are some of the issues that are affecting the society today. Inequality and diversity is caused by the existence of different classes as well as non class factor. The ethnic factor is currently the most important source of non-class social inequality. Different groups of people are identified with a certain ethnic group and it has affected the way people relate to each other (Gijsberts, et al, 2012). In the current era of globalization the ethnic factor is still highly regarded in the society. The paper discusses the concepts of ethic factor as a source of social inequity and diversity based on information obtained from an immigrant during an interview and literature review. Literature Review People from all over the world value their ethnic group and this seems to have influenced policies in most of the countries. Various ethnic groups have found themselves in other countries due to various factors including economic and political. In a country that is identified with a certain dominant ethnic group, the minorities who are immigrants usually find themselves being treated unfairly (Portes & Vickstrom, 2011). This has contributed to the inequality in the society. The ethnic groups may not understand the national language of a particular country where they are immigrants. This puts them at a disadvantage as they cannot get any jobs leading to poverty. This directly translates to the inequality within the society. Some of the countries whose nationals live in the Diaspora are aware of the challenges that the members of their ethnic groups are facing. This has forced countries to encourage the members of the ethnic groups to return to their country. Other countries are also committed to protecting the members of their ethnic group living abroad. When the Soviet Union collapsed, some of the ethnic Russians ended up in the Baltic States while others ended up in Ukraine and Europe. The ethnic Russians in such countries face a lot of challenges and Russia has always been on their forefront in protecting them abroad. In the recent events, it was alleged that the Russian forces entered the entered Eastern Ukraine for the purposes of protecting the Ethnic Russians for the fear that they will be oppressed if the country joined the European Union (Dunn & Bobick, 2014). Russia also has troops in Georgia and other Baltic states which were once part of the Soviet Union. This is in the pretext of protecting the ethnic Russians who may be oppressed by the other European Ethnic groups. Most of the immigrants in most countries including the European Union and Australia are mainly located in certain areas. This is because the members of the ethnic group feel comfortable living with the people they can identify with. The issue of ethnic minorities facing oppression has led to the development of policies. The countries in the European Union have to ensure that the ethnic minority are well treated. This has also been a basis for admitting different countries in the European Union. The issues of diverse ethnic groups have also contributed to racism. Some of the immigrants in different European countries have complained of being subjected to racism. This has greatly contributed to inequality as the immigrants find it difficult to access the basic services. Some of the immigrants from Africa and Asia who end up in Europe have ended up in poverty due to the level of inequality (Healey & O'Brien, 2014). Different ethnic minority groups have also formed separatist movements in a bid to form their own countries. The presence of different ethnic groups within a country has also led to the issues of diversity. Different ethnic groups have different cultures and languages. Diversity has played an important role in bringing together the people from different cultures. In almost every country, there are members of diverse ethnic groups which have impacted positively on the human experience. The inequality caused by the ethnic factor has negatives impacts on the society. This is because it leads to the marginalization of the members of different communities. Methodology An interview was carried out with an immigrant from Syria who has lived in Australia since 2004. The interview was carried out on a face to face basis. The respondent was from a non English background and mainly understood the Assyrian and Arabic language. The questions had to be translated to the respondent personally and it took a lot of time to complete the interview. Translations were also made during the writing of the report. The concepts of ethics were maintained throughout the process and the translations did not alter any information from the respondents. Results/discussion The responded revealed that he had to start learning the English language from scratch as he had no prior knowledge of the language. He came to Australia with his wife and children in search of a better life in the belief that life is much better in the European countries. The respondent chose to live in Fairfield local government area as most of the immigrants from his country live in the area. It was therefore important for him to live among his people as compared to the other area. The responded also indicated that he was jobless and it was difficult for the migrants from ethnic group to find jobs. Living together was therefore important so as to support one another. The respondent does not own any property bust is instead renting. The sense of identity according to the respondent is the culture. Although the overall experience of the respondent is not good he felt that he has integrated in the society and feels good to be an Australia. The respondents also acknowledged that some of their cultural practices are almost similar to that of the Australian people. The culture of the Assyrian people according to the respondents has been preserved for thousand s of years. One of the challenges that the respondent highlighted was racism. The responded indicates that the immigrants were subjected to racism by the Australian. Language barrier also affected their chances of success as they cannot secure any job without the knowledge of the English language. The information from the respondent who is an immigrant indicates that a lot of inequalities exist due to the ethic factor. The ethnic minority in Australia who are also immigrants face a lot of difficulties. They cannot find jobs which exposes them to poverty. The ethnic majority in most countries do not respect the rights of the ethnic minority resulting to the in equality. Racism is also a factor that has been highlighted by the respondent and it is a major challenge to the immigrants from different countries. This problem has also affected the immigrants from Africa and Asia who travel to Europe in search for a better life. The lack of laws to protect the interest of the ethnic minorities further worsens their problems. The discrimination of the people from a certain ethnic group is an indication that the ethnic factor is a source of inequality (Ivarsflaten & Strømsnes, 2013). Different ethnic groups however have different ethnic cultures. This was also highlighted by the respondent and it is an indication that the ethnic factor is a source of diversity. The diverse nature of different culture enhances the human experience. According to the theories of cultural diversity, the diverse culture can be used for the purposes of developing respect among members of different groups. Respect for diversity has also played an important role in some of the countries in terms of reducing the inequalities that the members of different ethnic groups face. The responded also indicated that he found comfort living with the members of his ethnic community. This indicates that most people feel secured when they are living among their own people or community. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the ethnic factor is a source of inequality and diversity around the world. Most of the ethnic groups are associated with a certain country. It is evident that most of the countries have put in place repatriation efforts to welcome the members of their ethnic groups living in the Diaspora. It is evident that most countries are increasingly working to protect the rights of their ethnic members living abroad. Racism has also contributed to the inequality in terms of the ethnic factor. It is evident that most of the immigrants in the European countries face a lot of challenges due to their ethnicity. Most of them live in poverty as they cannot secure jobs although they are satisfied living in the European countries. List of References Gijsberts, M, et al, 2012, ‘Hunkering down’in multi-ethnic neighbourhoods? The effects of ethnic diversity on dimensions of social cohesion, European Sociological Review, 28(4), 527-537. Portes, A & Vickstrom, E, 2011, Diversity, social capital, and cohesion, Annual Review of Sociology, 37, 461-479. Dunn, E, C & Bobick, M, 2014, The empire strikes back: War without war and occupation without occupation in the Russian sphere of influence, American Ethnologist, 41(3), 405-413. Healey, J, F & O'Brien, E, 2014, Race, ethnicity, gender, and class: The sociology of group conflict and change, Sage Publications. Ivarsflaten, E & Strømsnes, K, 2013, Inequality, diversity and social trust in Norwegian communities, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion & Parties, 23(3), 322-34. Appendices Interview Report: (Apply theory to it) General questions When did you first arrive in Australia? I came to Australian in 2004 What was your English proficiency level on the time of the arrival? I came with zero English background and I have to start from the bottom as I have learned something new every day. What courses/classes did you attend for studying English language? I have attended the ACL which is used to teach English language for new migrants which was much closed to where I live and then I attended TAFE to study more English. What is the highest level of education that you have achieved & in which country? I have not attended school in my country. What language do you speak at home? I speak my language which is Assyrian and also I can speak Arabic too. What is your family situation? I came with my wife and three children. Is Fairfield Local Government area your first residential choice? Yes, as I live in area where are my people, so I can get help with everything include (shopping, paying bills, get assisted of filling forms and so on….. Also I moved to Cabramatta which is also much closed to my community. Are you a property owner? No, I am renting. Migration experiences, residential choice and social network Describe your migration experience. Please refer to your motivation, expectations, settlement experience as well as your content with your decision? Before I came to Australia, I thought I am going to country which very very different from my country (“sorry what do you mean by very different country?”) you know my country is third world country where I could imagine people in Australia or other European countries are high class people you know as we see them on TV. Fairfield area was my first choice this because there are a lot of Assyrians this including my relative too. My expectation, I could imagine myself living in high class country where I have to deal and act like people living in there. But there were something worried me which my language and financial situation. The first think I thought about it before I came to Australia, I said to myself I am going to leave in area where people can speak my languages. So I can get their help. What makes you feel and identify as Assyrian in Australia? Each country in the Middle East has their cultural tradition that they followed from generations to generations this including our Assyrian history from thousand and thousand years ago which is proved by our history books and Status. All these have become one of the most of our celebration as we like to show to the other cultures our traditions. So I think each cultural in Australia have their own traditions which is similar to ours that may experience it with the others. Which factors influenced your decision to settle in Fairfield Local Government area? As I told you Fairfield is mostly full of Assyrian community where everything is same as in my country. So I do not have to worry about how to communicate with people who are living there and some of these factors which are the Language, getting job or financial assistance. Do you feel well integrated in the wider society? What does, in your opinion mean to be well integrated? What are the obstacles (the obstacles that you have overcome), if any, you've come across that unable your successful integration? Not too much, but I can say mostly yes and I can consider myself and my family as one of the Australian’s culture. Integrate means to me follow, act, engage and live with different society as well as keeping my social background and things that I have learned from my parent from gyrations. I have straggled with language, living (I do not know where to go or speak to who to get assisted), and also getting quick job to survive with my family financially. Where some of the Aussie company do not employ people from different background and to me I can consider it as it is racism. For example there is lot of Aussie people are racist and because of the hair, colour and head shape they treated as someone does not exist in their own culture. Who, in your opinion, is an Australian? Every person/ cultures or community who are living in Australia; Being as an Australian for me and my family is very good as well as my country too. What do you understand by Australian Culture? My understanding of Australian Culture is different people, cultures or society living together in Western country which is called new home and it is Australia’s. Read More