Cabramatta an Ethnic Enclave - Phtographic Essay

13 Found helpful • 4 Pages • Essays / Projects • Year: Pre-2021

Ethnically concentrated residential areas have a stigma attached to them. They are often thought to be ill-maintained, have higher crime rates, have a lack of engagement with other cultures and communities on an internal and regional scale. However, Cabramatta, which has a dense Indo-Chine population has evolved over the last few decades with the reform against racist legislation and poor social services (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016). This enclave was formed as a result of immigrants and refugees seeking asylum post the Vietnam War, were not welcomed into the wider Australian society. The social exclusion that they faced catalysed the concentrated spatiality of the group. These exclusionary practices are akin to the exclusion and forced assimilation of Indigenous Australians. The suburb was often referred to as Sydney’s drug and crime haven. It was an area where social disadvantages such as unemployment and low income were extensive (Conroy 2004). It was the site for the first political assassination in Australian history and was used as a major point in debates for the reinstatement of assimilationist agendas and anti-multicultural policies in Australia. However, with the implementation of stronger social structures and services, the abolishment of racist legislation, the suburb of Cabramatta has evolved significantly and is a strong example of how negative stereotypes should not negate the ability for ethnically concentrated areas to achieve sustainability, build up community capacity and increase social inclusion (Dunn 1993).

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