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THE CHINES E I N AUSTRALIA * Lawrence W. Crissman ABSTRACT This paper begins by noting an estimate of 150,000 (or 1 per cent of the tota l population) for th e numbe r o f Chinese i n Australia i n 1985 , but make s th e point tha t th e aggregat e numbe r i s no t ver y salien t becaus e o f the grea t diversity i n th e background s o f the 'Chinese ' i n th e country . Th e variou s categories o f people who in one way or another identif y (o r are identifie d a s Chinese) ar e briefl y discusse d i n th e historical contex t o f their arrival . Th e Chinese survivor s o f the Whit e Australian Polic y numbered onl y 12,09 4 i n 1947, o f whom 6,67 8 wer e Australi a bor n (onl y 3,77 8 o f those bein g ,'ful l Chinese,' accordin g t o th e census) . Wit h th e abandonmen t o f al l suc h immigration restriction s i n 1966 , th e arriva l o f educated , largel y Anglophone Chines e increased greatly , an d in 198 1 there were estimate d t o have bee n 13,75 0 from Chin a an d Taiwan, 10,10 0 from Hon g Kong, 11,35 0 from Malaysia , 3,00 0 fro m Singapore , 2,50 0 from Papu a Ne w Guinea , an d some 8,50 0 fro m elsewher e i n th e worl d apar t fro m refugee s fro m Timo r (6,000) an d Indochin a (30,000) . Australian-born Chines e numbere d 12,00 0 in the same year. Over 10 per cent of the total of nearly 90,000 were students , principally fro m Hon g Kong and Southeas t Asia , o r transients wh o di d no t have the right to remain in Australia. Student numbers continued to grow to 15,000 in 1985, as did the numbers o f Indochinese refugees i n particular, 6 0 to 8 0 pe r cen t o f whom hav e bee n ethni c Chinese , producin g th e overal l number for that year noted at the beginning of this paper. Various factor s othe r tha n th e nationa l origin s o f immigran t an d locally bor n Chines e tha t migh t differentiat e amon g them , suc h a s wealt h and class , occupation , residenc e patterns , an d religiou s affiliations , ar e then examined . However , thei r variou s cultura l background s acquire d i n their countrie s o f birth o r rearing , no t thei r ancestra l origin s i n differen t parts o f China , for m th e primar y basi s fo r thei r segmentatio n an d association, directl y influencin g thei r situation s i n Australi a an d th e degree t o whic h the y integrat e o r assimilate . Whateve r thei r parents ' ^Published as "The Segmentation and Integration of the Chinese in Brisbane, Australia', Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 1 6 (2) (Summer 1985): 181-203, with Cxeorge Beattie and James Selby. 340฀ LAWRENCE W . CRISSMA N national backgrounds , 'Chinese ' childre n wh o enculturat e i n Australi a have particula r problem s i n definin g thei r identities , bu t mos t hav e littl e difficulty i n attainin g a n educatio n an d participatin g i n mainstrea m Australian society . Therefore , despit e th e manifol d cultura l an d experiential difference s amon g th e 'Chinese, ' i n Australia , thei r childre n are al l growin g up t o be Australian culturally , althoug h thei r identit y ma y be problematic o r contextual. ...

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