Conference to focus on new forms of racism
An international conference in Caloundra next week will focus on the various forms of racism that have developed since the attacks on the World Trade Centre in 2001.
More than 100 delegates and speakers are expected to attend the Second International Conference on Racisms in the New World Order, to be held at the Ramada Pelican Waters on Thursday and Friday 6-7 December.
The conference will be co-hosted by the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Centre for Multicultural and Community Development (CMCD) and Victoria University’s Institute for Community, Ethnicity and Policy Alternatives, with sponsorship from the Queensland Government and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
Representatives from a number of stakeholder groups will have the opportunity to express their views on racism, and keynote speakers will deliver presentations aimed at stimulating debate.
Speakers will include Professor of Sociology Peter S. Li of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, as well as academics from USC, Victoria University, Charles Darwin University, RMIT and the University of NSW.
Centre for Multicultural and Community Development coordinator Mitra Khakbaz said the conference would provide an arena for discussion about various instances of racism across the globe and ways to combat them.
“Since the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001, racism has developed new meanings due to government policy changes world-wide,” she said.
“As new security systems are put in place, social and cultural differences are highlighted and examined by policy-makers. Increasingly, racial profiling by biology is becoming less of an issue.
“In its place is the growing emphasis on racial profiling by values and lifestyles, placing restrictions on civil liberties and human rights across the world.”
Ms Khakbaz said the conference aimed to create dialogue about racism, share information on experiences of racism across the world, and identify issues in policy and program responses to combat racism.
It also will determine strategies and education tools to increase community awareness, showcase innovative programs and create an impetus for change and development.
For bookings and more information, contact Mitra Khakbaz on 0419 764 715, (07) 3210 6951 or (07) 5430 1259, or email <mkhakbaz@usc.edu.au>.
— Terry Walsh