The presentation of political actors on the stage of human life : framing complex Australian decisions about Ottoman-Armenian deaths

Abstract

The debate about whether to label the mass killing of Ottoman-Armenians in the early twentieth century as "genocide" has emerged in geographically distant Australian parliamentary discussions and decisions. The struggle to use and refuse such terms is deeply felt by the Australian-Armenian and Australian-Turkish ethnic-migrant communities, for each of which the reframing is a question of cultural identity and a source of tension. This thesis explores how and why contentious international debates on the histories affecting the Armenians and Turks make their way into Australian State Parliaments, and how the debates and political decisions impact and play out on the lives of the two communities so far removed from the realities of the past. The thesis considers the impacts of these on Australia's 'normative' concepts of multiculturalism. This thesis also provides an overview of the historical background to the mass killing of Ottoman-Armenians in the early twentieth century, and highlights the areas of contention and scholarly disagreement. The purpose of this thesis is not to determine a label for the mass killing of Ottoman-Armenians. The roles of political actors, lobby groups, and the Australian media (both ethnic and mainstream) in framing debates, setting agendas and labels, and promoting activism are considered. Key media and political narratives are examined, to understand the ramifications of the New South Wales and South Australian Parliamentary decisions to recognise the mass killing of Ottoman-Armenians between 1915-1916 as an act of "genocide". This thesis captures how culture, religious background, education and historical experiences impact unity and distances within and between the two diasporic communities, and presents an understanding of the decreased sense of belonging experienced by members of the Australian-Armenian and Australian-Turkish communities through qualitative and quantitative research findings. This thesis also examines the challenges facing Australia, a geographically distant nation in relation to ongoing struggles between the Armenians and Turks, and argues that the country is no longer "immune" to international warfare affecting ethnic-migrant communities living in Australia. It argues that multiculturalism cannot truly be embraced until the frames and labels, which oversimplify complex discourses and conflicted narratives, are understood.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	English