This book examines various attempts in the 'West' to manage cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity - focusing on Muslim minorities in predominantly non-Muslim societies. An international panel of contributors chart evolving national identities and social values, assessing the way that both contemporary 'Western' societies and contemporary Muslim minorities view themselves and respond to the challenges of diversity. Drawing on themes and priority subjects from Islamic Culture within Euro-Asian, Australian, and American international research, they address multiple critical issues and discuss their implications for existing and future policy and practice in this area. These include subjects such as gender, the media, citizenship, and multiculturalism. The insight provided by this wide-ranging book will be of great use to scholars of Religious Studies, Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Studies, as well as Politics, Culture, and Migration.

This book examines various attempts in the 'West' to manage cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity - focusing on Muslim minorities in predominantly non-Muslim societies. An international panel of contributors chart evolving national identities and social values, assessing the way that both contemporary 'Western' societies and contemporary Muslim minorities view themselves and respond to the challenges of diversity. Drawing on themes and priority subjects from Islamic Culture within Euro-Asian, Australian, and American international research, they address multiple critical issues and discuss their implications for existing and future policy and practice in this area. These include subjects such as gender, the media, citizenship, and multiculturalism. The insight provided by this wide-ranging book will be of great use to scholars of Religious Studies, Interreligious Dialogue and Islamic Studies, as well as Politics, Culture, and Migration.

Educational Reciprocity and Adaptability challenges the common belief that adapting to new educational settings is the responsibility of international students alone. The book argues that reciprocal responses are required by students and stakeholders alike for an efficient and equitable accommodation of international students in educational settings. Considering how international students negotiate academic challenges and social tensions, it presents both theoretical frameworks and practical tools to work around the tension regarding ethical academic practices. Crucially exploring these issues across a range of geographical and institutional contexts, and therefore offering critical insights into significant developments in international education across the world, the much-needed research in this edited collection explores: institutional educational policies regarding international students and stakeholders; institutional practices and how they are received; educational adaptability and responses from different stakeholders; the experiences of international students and institutions in negotiating academic and social tensions. This important contribution to research on the experiences of international students in different geographical and educational contexts is of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the fields of international education, comparative education, sociology of education, youth studies, intercultural studies, migration studies and TESOL.

The internationalisation of higher education in the 20th century, built on an unprecedented expansion of transport and communication networks and the scope of international scholarly activities, triggered a massive flow of people across countries and continents. Geographically remote countries, such as Australia, became more attractive and accessible to migrants from Europe.Today, international education in Australia is under enormous pressure to reinvent itself.This book offers a collection of chapters that cover various dimensions of international education in Australia. The issues covered span from political and student identity concerns to the pedagogical and curriculum dimensions of international education and to the areas of language acquisition and language assessment. Each chapter formulates implications for the education of international students as Australia enters a new phase of hyperglobalism and completion with the rise of global cities and educational hubs that they provide beyond the traditional Western providers of higher education.Coming from diverse backgrounds and regionst, he authors offer insights into significant developments in international education as they address crucial questions faced by educators in Australia and compare them with North America and Europe in comprehensive and critical ways. This includes shifts in methodological approaches in education and policy research, as well as other issues arising from comparative research, such as improving educational quality and responsiveness of education to the needs of international students. Several chapters address more specific problems of providing equality, access, and equity for all students, narrowing the achievement gap, and the ways of offering education that is free from prejudice and discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, gender, social class and religion.

Cross-cultural research provides exceptional insights into the hopes and fears of dealing with people different to ourselves. In Australia, such research suggests that Australian Muslims have surpassed Asians as one of the country's most marginalised religious and ethnic groups. Muslims and people from the Middle East are thought to be unable to fit into Australia, with more than 50% of Australians preferring their relatives did not to marry into a Muslim family. Yet this statistic masks diverse interpretations of interfaith relations and cultural harmony present across Australia today. In 12 essays Us and Them offers truths about interfaith relations as they are believed and expressed by Muslim and non-Muslim Australians. The essays are interdisciplinary and varied in topic, and seek to challenge the images of Islam held by both xenophobic Westerners and extremist Muslims. Drawn from a variety of research projects over past years, including results from a national survey on attitudes towards Islam and Muslims among Australian secondary students, they also raise thematic questions, such as: Will any dialogue lead to a rapprochement between the Muslim and mainstream communities? What is Christian-Muslim diversity? Why does it matter? Can we really learn how to manage diversity in the workplace? Can the Shari'a law coexist with the Australian legal system on issues including polygamy, marital status and dress? This book is essential reading for all students -- secondary through to tertiary and postgraduate -- requiring an introduction to Christian Muslim relations and attitudes in Australia .