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Methodological Insights

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Governance and Multiculturalism

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Abstract

In this chapter, we sought to analyse the racial formation of white Australian identities. In so doing, we drew upon a social constructionist approach. The book is placed in the context of hegemonic narratives that shape white Australian identities. This is an empirical study of how white Australians construct their identities in their everyday lives, in a specific time and locality. The ethnographic method, described in this chapter, is best suited to collect qualitative data on and from the subjects to gain insight into their daily cultural practices and social relations. Frankenberg’s use of a theoretical analysis of race, racism, and colonialism to apply a substantive analysis of these processes in the daily life experiences of the women she interviews is used to explore how white identities describe race and cultural difference and how their descriptions reflect different moments in the history of race.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federation University Australia, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Catherine Koerner & Soma Pillay

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  1. Catherine Koerner
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  2. Soma Pillay
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Correspondence to Soma Pillay .

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Koerner, C., Pillay, S. (2020). Methodological Insights. In: Governance and Multiculturalism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23740-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23740-0_4

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