Using cultural geography to engage contested constructions of ethnicity and citizenship in Sydney

Much of the critique of the 'cultural turn' erroneously assumes that politics and representation are mutually exclusive. An examination of constructions of ethnicity and citizenship in two Sydney case studies demonstrates the deeply politicized nature of representations. Case study materials are drawn from anti-mosque politics and from discourses surrounding a suburb associated with Indo-Chinese-Australians. Representations are both expressive and constitutive of citizenship. Cultural minorities are compelled to engage in representational battles. Media research and cultural studies theory indicate that audience empowerment offers strategic political promise. Suggestions for empowering cultural minorities in their representational battles, and a research agenda, are articulated.