Diaspora Philanthropy in Australia: A Preliminary Critique

Australia is home to numerous diaspora communities that have settled in Australia throughout the twentieth century. Over the decades, these ethnic communities have adapted to the Australian way of life and while there was an attempt to create a single national identity, many immigrant communities continue to maintain their cultural and linguistic links with their origin homeland. It is to be expected that many within these communities feel they owe some obligation to their original homeland. At times this manifests itself as personal, economic support to family structures back home; at others, in more complex, event-based investments. This study is a preliminary critique of philanthropic trends in Australia's diasporic communties. While studies exist across the world on the philanthropic practices of various diasporas, very few address the dual theme in Australia. Some studies have pursued the two themes in separate contexts. Very few have explored the two concepts of diaspora communities and the philanthropic behavior of these communities as a single combined theme. The aim of this article is to undertake a preliminary and critical study on this significant and growing phenomenon.