Everyday multiculturalism in the workplace: negotiating difference in a metropolitan university

Australia has one of the world‘s most culturally diverse workforces and it is at work where ‗enforced‘ intercultural contact and intermingling occurs daily. The quality of social relationships between different ethnic groups has ongoing implications not only for the world of work but also for the direction of multiculturalism in Australia. This paper presents findings from a pilot study which examined everyday intercultural relations in an Australian metropolitan university. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the experiences and dynamics of cross-cultural interactions and further our understanding of everyday negotiations of cultural difference in the workplace and their wider impact on community relations in Australia. The study involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with general and academic staff from non-Anglo backgrounds from across the university. We found that while universities, as workplaces, are viewed as largely non racist, participants in this study did experience discrimination and racism that they ‗felt‘ could be attributed to their ethnic and cultural backgrounds.