Crossing borders : changing perspectives and practices for social justice in education

The African refugee population in Australia has experienced considerable growth in the first decade of this millennium. Many of these refugees have come from countries experiencing high levels of civil unrest, state terrorism and war. Such events affect a nation's political stability and its social infrastructure - including education, its citizens' safety and, in many cases, their human rights. These events undermine interpersonal relationships and have the potential to destroy trust in the key values of human existence. Like many refugees, African refugees have experienced considerable personal, economic and material loss, yet they have had to remain strong and resilient, not only to forge new lives in different lands, but to survive the contexts from which they have come.