Sunday 14 March 2010
Will foreign students close the ‘Asia gap’?
Australia, a country shaped by migration, is again being challenged to define itself by a new wave of migration from its giant Asian neighbours. How Australia deals with the new and different influx from China and India will also affect its political and strategic relations.
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Will foreign students close the ‘Asia gap’?
Robin Jeffrey
12 March 2010
Australia, a country shaped by migration, is again being challenged to define itself by a new wave of migration from its giant Asian neighbours. How Australia deals with the new and different influx from China and India will also affect its political and strategic relations.
Reeling from a spate of violence against Indian students, Australia, where racism now is a dirty word, has engaged in soul searching, and the outcome might be a blessing in disguise. A deepening of relations with India that could follow might help to put more flesh and blood in the emerging political ties.
Last month, Australians celebrated a day of “Vindaloo against Violence” by nationwide eating of Indian food. The occasion highlighted 30 years of change in the Asia-Pacific region and particularly in a country where “White Australia” once tripped off the tongue as readily as “East Germany” or “North Korea”. Vindaloo against Violence was planned as an expression of solidarity with Indian students, 100,000 of whom have come to Australia since 2004.
The build-up of Chinese students was steady and took longer. An authoritarian government prevents students from enrolling in trivial courses, ensuring that students come in groups, are adequately financed and are watched.
Indian students, on the other hand, arrived like a whirlwind in five years. They came as a result of individual initiative, with little preparation and support. But Indian students also come from a tradition of protest. When the assaults on Indian students last year produced serious injuries, demonstrations tied up traffic in downtown Melbourne.
Yet, in spite of the hurt and tragedy of the past year, the events indicate a striking change and constructive, long-term potential. The Indian student presence could also solve the puzzle of Australia-India relations. For 50 years, Australian policymakers struggled to understand why Australia-India relations were not as rich as it seemed they ought to be. What was missing were people. But the influx of Indian students, most of them seeking permanent residency, should change this.
The turmoil of the past year emphasises how enmeshed Australia has become with Asia. One problem, however, for Australia’s engagement with Asia lies in the fact that underinvestment in education has depleted its capacity to understand its neighbours. Fewer than 5 per cent of Australian university students study Asian countries. Teaching about Asia has shrunk. This innocence showed up during the Indian-student distress.
One view of Australia’s future is as a calm centre for Asia. The large presence of students from Asia for the past 15 years provides substance for such a picture, especially now that the missing Indian link has arrived. And the fact that now about 250,000 young Indians and Chinese meet each year in Australia offers potential for ties and understanding that will drive the region’s interactive future.
Robin Jeffrey is visiting research professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies and Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. Reprinted with permission from YaleGlobal Online.
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