Showing items 1 - 14 of 14

Australian media and Islamophobia : Representations of asylum seeker children

- Patil, Tejaswini, McLaren, Helen

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , McLaren, Helen
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Religions Vol. 10, no. 9 (2019), p. 1-14
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  • Description: Australian media invests considerable attention in asylum seekers and their children, especially those arriving by boat. In this paper, we provide an analysis of Australian newsprint media published during the term of Australia's Gillard's government (2010-2013). This period is critical as it coincides with rising numbers of boat arrivals to Australian shores, fear towards Muslims, and growing Islamophobia. At the time, there were government promises to move children from offshore immigration detention into community-based detention, that would involve living among mainstream Australian society. A data set of 46 articles from major Australian newspapers articles was subject to a discourse analysis of representations of children in both the written texts and in silences. Manipulative tactics of 'risk framing' and 'dispersed intentionality' were identified as discursive acts aimed to confuse compassion and deviancy with respect to asylum seeker children presumed to be from Islamic backgrounds. We argue that this was achieved through binary characterizations in which Muslim parents and people smugglers were constructed as deviant alongside intentional silences, that may have otherwise elicited compassion for asylum seeker children. We propose that this period of media reporting is foundational to understanding the rise of Islamophobic discourses and the implication of Muslim children in Australia.

Critically reflecting on the Australian association of social workers code of ethics : Learning from a social work field placement

- Patil, Tejaswini, Ennis, Gretchen

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Ennis, Gretchen
  • Date: 2018
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: British Journal of Social Work Vol. 48, no. 5 (2018), p. 1370-1387
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  • Description: When a student experienced a personally challenging situation during field placement, she and her field supervisor worked through the scenario together, using a process of critical reflection. Many ideas and assumptions were unsettled for both, and aspects of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics were questioned. Using critical reflection as a pedagogical tool, we reflect on how discourses affect our practice. We demonstrate this by undertaking a political reading of the AASW Code of Ethics. Our analysis exposes tensions between the core social work value of ‘respect for persons’ and the practice responsibility of social workers to undertake culturally competent, safe and sensitive practice. We suggest that the Code of Ethics is predominantly embedded in Kantian philosophy and limits our ability to practise in culturally sensitive ways, as it denies the impact that knowledge and power have on our work with Indigenous communities specifically, and all non-Western peoples more broadly.

Developing a case-based experiential learning model at a program level in a regional university : reflections on the developmental process

- Patil, Tejaswini, Hunt, Michelle, Cooper, Kimberlea, Townsend, Rob

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Hunt, Michelle , Cooper, Kimberlea , Townsend, Rob
  • Date: 2020
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Australian Journal of Adult Learning Vol. 60, no. 2 (2020), p. 225-244
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  • Description: This article reflects on the developmental process of a case-based experiential learning model: the Federation University model, in an undergraduate community and human services program at a regional university. There is abundant literature that addresses the use and need for introducing experiential learning at the subject/unit level in community and human services/social work content. However, despite the expansion of research on experiential learning, there is limited literature that bridges the gap between course/program level teaching philosophy and using experiential learning activities in individual subjects. The article will demonstrate how Kolb’s four stage cycle (Kolb, 1984) and case-based experiential learning were integrated to develop curriculum at a program level. It will also demonstrate how a move to experiential learning facilitated better alignment with face-to-face and online learning. As a way of argument, we suggest that case-based experiential learning is very relevant and useful to human services/ social work education because of its emphasis on bridging the theory and praxis nexus and providing graduates with an opportunity to work effectively in a complex, fluid and ever-changing sector. © 2020, Adult Learning Australia. All rights reserved.

Exploring lived experiences of participants in the Intercultural Employment Pathways (IEP) program from 2019 to 2022

- Cooper, Kimberlea, Patil, Tejaswini, Ottmann, Goetz, Williams, Dominic, Mummery, Jane

  • Authors: Cooper, Kimberlea , Patil, Tejaswini , Ottmann, Goetz , Williams, Dominic , Mummery, Jane
  • Date: 2022
  • Type: Text , Technical report
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  • Description: This report documents research conducted by Federation University in relation to the City of Ballarat Intercultural Employment Pathways (IEP) program from 2019 - 2022. The IEP program aims to enhance social inclusion, employment, and education pathways for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrants in the Ballarat region. The purpose of the research was to explore the lived experiences of migrants who participated in the IEP program to better understand the strengths of the program and propose recommendations for its future. The research was a qualitative study that used a survey, interviews, and a focus group to explore the perspectives of IEP participants and encourage them to share deep and rich accounts of their lived experiences. Overall, 39 migrants involved with the IEP program participated in the research. The findings are grouped into four themes: Connection: The communal nature of the IEP program enabled participants to establish social and professional connections which increased their networking capacity to find gainful employment. Participants valued the networking opportunities created by the IEP program as many felt as though they were ‘starting again’ after migrating to Australia. Culture: The IEP program assisted participants to adapt to Australian norms of job-hunting and workplace culture and to learn practical strategies to utilise in their job application and interview techniques. The IEP program created a broader platform for cultural exchange within the community and can contribute to wider changes in representation and appreciation of diversity. Confidence: The IEP program assisted participants to improve their levels of confidence and feelings of self-worth. The tailored support that is available to each participant enabled them to develop confidence in their abilities and focus upon their strengths. Context: Participants shared experiences of the many challenges and barriers they have faced when looking for meaningful and secure employment in Australia. Understanding these wider experiences provide the context in which the IEP program operates and emphasises its importance in providing valuable assistance to migrants settling in the City of Ballarat.

Manipulative silences and the politics of representation of boat children in Australian print media

- McLaren, Helen, Patil, Tejaswini

  • Authors: McLaren, Helen , Patil, Tejaswini
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Continuum Vol. 30, no. 6 (2016), p. 602-612
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  • Description: There is substantial literature on media representations of asylum seeker policy in Australia from a number of theoretical standpoints, namely moral panic theory, whiteness studies and belonging and citizenship. While many of these studies use discourse analysis of textual media as a methodology, there is scant attention to the contribution of manipulative silences in media texts on asylum seeker children. Using a form of discourse analysis to explore the idea of manipulative silences, we demonstrate how media representations may steer public attention towards asylum seeker children in two dominant ways: (i) in discourses of deviancy by association with adults and (ii) the rights of boat children in association with immigration detention. Both generate confusion between rights, compassion and deviancy and, by shifting public attention, they serve to silence more essential concerns for the children. We seek to analyses these manipulative silences in the context of Australian asylum seeker policies of the Abbott government. In elucidating the use of textual silences to manipulate discourse, it is possible to see how Australian media representations may be skewing dialogue in the public sphere away from core political, legal and humanitarian issues that are imperative for the well-being of asylum seeker children. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Reflecting critically on my journey through social work education in Australia

- Patil, Tejaswini

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Book chapter
  • Relation: Reflective thinking in social work : learning from student narratives Chapter 5 p. 88-97
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  • Description: It is vital that social work students learn to integrate their personal and professional selves if they are to meet the challenges of social work in complex changing environments. This accessible text is designed to enable readers to explore and build on their existing skills and abilities, supporting them to become competent and self-aware reflective practitioners. Reflective Thinking in Social Work uses stories told by a range of social work students to model reflective practice learning. Discussing issues such as identity, motivation to enter the social work profession and lived experiences in the journey into social work, the book brings together stories of hardship, privilege, families, hopes, interests and community activism from many diverse ethnic backgrounds. Each narrative is introduced by the author and ends with a commentary drawing out the key themes and exploring how the reader can use the narrative to enhance their own understanding and critical thinking, and to engage in transformative practice. Framed by an in-depth discussion of available frameworks for reflective practice in different contexts and the importance of narratives in constructing identities, this is an invaluable text for social work students at both bachelor's and master's degree levels.

Reflecting critically on the critical disposition within Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) : The developmental journey of a curriculum design team

- Patil, Tejaswini, Mummery, Jane

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Mummery, Jane
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Higher Education Research and Development Vol. 38, no. 2 (2019), p. 354-368
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  • Description: Internationalisation of curriculum (IoC) practices promote students developing knowledge of other cultures, attitudes, values and ethics. This conceptual article argues that embedding critical reflection in the IoC program–through integrating insights from both IoC thinkers and critical reflection literature–may allow educators and students to not only gain understanding and/or competency in other cultures but better address questions of privilege, power and colonisation and thereby interrogate their own normative cultural understandings. Borrowing from debates within IoC pedagogy, as well as from Ahmed’s work on critical reflection, this article also argues that cross/intercultural understanding should be understood (and taught) not as a competency but a disposition towards thinking, analysing and understanding the world which is based on critiquing the ‘self’ and its relationship with the ‘other’.

Reporting on training developed for pharmacy assistants and pharmacy dispensary technicians working with Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) consumers in regional Victoria

- Patil, Tejaswini, Cooper, Simon, Salman, Mohammed, Mummery, Jane, Molloy, Pauline, Williams, Dominic

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Cooper, Simon , Salman, Mohammed , Mummery, Jane , Molloy, Pauline , Williams, Dominic
  • Date: 2020
  • Type: Text , Technical report , Report
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  • Description: A recent study (Patil et al., 2018) analysing lived experiences of Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence (MATOD) consumers suggested that some experienced discrimination and stigma in the pharmacy context in regional Victoria, Australia. One of the recommendations was to explore professional training and education opportunities for allied health professionals and in particular, Pharmacy Assistants (PAs) and Pharmacy Dispensary Technicians (PDTs) as they are integral to serving MATOD consumers. Ballarat Community Health commissioned Federation University to develop training modules for PAs and PDTs working in the pharmacy settings in regional Victoria. A survey of the literature identified two key issues, namely, the lack of professional education and training of PAs and PDTs involved in serving the consumers in pharmacy settings either at the national or state level in Australia. The other finding was the varied use of different types of ‘opioid dependence’ treatments in different jurisdictions of Australia which had implications in terms of embedding psychosocial or Social Determinants of Health (SDH) with therapeutic treatments. As a result, this project serves as a significant step in employing SDH based training modules for PAs and PDTs working with MATOD consumers in the pharmacy settings to address stigma and discrimination. The training workshop materials will be evaluated to determine its efficacy in terms of change of attitudes and professional practice. The aim of this study is to: 1. Deliver and evaluate a new professional training module concerning MATOD and; 2. Examine and evaluate the efficacy and impact of the training module on professional practice and changes in attitudes towards stigma and discrimination amongst PAs and PDTs. This project was conducted in two stages. At the first stage, two workshops (each lasting for two hours) were delivered in two different regional locations in the state of Victoria, Australia (referred to as locations A and B in this report). Thirteen participants expressed interest in location A but eleven attended both training workshops. In location B, fourteen attended the first workshop, while twelve attended the second workshop. Participants who attended the training were administered pre-training and post-training surveys. The pre-training surveys included demographic information, professional experience, educational background and professional training, whereas the post-training survey involved questions about the impact and efficacy of the training delivered. The second stage involved conducting in-depth qualitative interviews with participants who attended the training workshops. The main goal was to evaluate the impact on professional practice and change in attitudes amongst PAs and PDTs. Data collected from the surveys and interviews were analysed using quantitative and qualitative content analysis via an inductive process. In addition, an interpretive phenomenological analysis was undertaken to identify and code themes emerging from the interviews. Ethics approval was received through the Federation University’s Human Research Ethics Committee before the commencement of this project.

Silence as a discourse in the public sphere: Media representations of Australians joining the fight in Syria

- Patil, Tejaswini, Ennis, Gretchen Marie

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Ennis, Gretchen Marie
  • Date: 2016
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Social Alternatives Vol. 35, no. 1 (2016), p. 40-46
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  • Description: Literature on media representations of Islamic terrorism predominantly employs discourse analysis as a methodological tool to unpack concepts of power in texts. There is scant literature focused on the operation of silence as a discursive practice in the public sphere. This paper employs Huckin's (2002) notion of manipulative silences to demonstrate how textual media representations of Australians Joining the Fight in Syria are dominated by identity debates, particularly evident in the media's act of defining Muslims who engage in the Syrian conflict as bad Australians. We use Joining the Fight on Insight, an Australian opinion-based television program on Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), as the centrepiece of our argument to demonstrate how media representations use manipulative silences. These silences skew dialogue in the public sphere away from the core issue, the role of ISIS in the Syrian conflict, and towards internal politics and nationalistic concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Alternatives is the property of Social Alternatives and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The lived experience of Australian opioid replacement therapy recipients in a community-based program in regional Victoria

- Patil, Tejaswini, Cash, Penelope, Cant, Robyn, Mummery, Jane, Penney, Wendy

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Cash, Penelope , Cant, Robyn , Mummery, Jane , Penney, Wendy
  • Date: 2019
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Drug and Alcohol Review Vol. 38, no. 6 (2019), p. 656-663
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  • Description: Introduction and Aims Treatment of opioid dependence through opioid replacement therapy is widely recognised as effective. Nonetheless, while there has been a community-based program in the state of Victoria for over two decades, consumer experiences have received little attention. This study aimed to describe the experiences of opioid replacement therapy consumers living in rural and regional areas of the state. Design and Methods A qualitative design employed an interpretative phenomenological approach. Sixteen consumers were interviewed. Thematic analysis was conducted by the researchers to examine the phenomena of consumers ' experiences and findings were verified by a stakeholder group. Results Findings centred on themes of consumers ' experience of becoming recipients; consumer perceptions of pharmacists and pharmacy settings and psychosocial impacts on consumers. A majority of participants believed opioid replacement therapy brought increased normality to their life, however systemic and psychosocial barriers impacted on well-being. The pharmacy setting itself as a public dosing space commonly provoked feelings of stigma and discrimination among consumers. Other barriers prominently reported were restrictions on number of takeaways, cost of dispensing and lack of access to medical practitioners and allied supports. Discussion and Conclusions There were psychosocial impacts on opioid replacement therapy consumers relating to financial and social burdens, stigma and discrimination. Access to medical care and a choice of pharmacy appeared to be restricted in rural regions. The findings suggest a need to address, in particular, the financial and dispensing point burdens experienced by consumers to facilitate program retention.

The politics of race, nationhood and hindu nationalism: The case of Gujarat riots of 2002

- Patil, Tejaswini

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini
  • Date: 2017
  • Type: Text , Journal article , Review
  • Relation: Asian Journal of Social Science Vol. 45, no. 1-2 (2017), p. 27-54
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  • Description: The discussion on Hindu-Muslim conflict in India has revolved around religious or ethno-nationalist explanations. Employing the Gujarat riots of 2002 as a case study, I argue that dominant (Hindu) nationalism is linked to the ideas of "race" and has its roots in Brahminical notions of Aryanism and colonial racism. The categories of "foreign, hypermasculine, terrorist Other" widely prevalent in the characterisation of the Muslim Other, are not necessarily produced due to religious differences. Instead, social and cultural cleavages propagated by Hindu nationalists have their origins in race theory that accommodates purity, lineage, classification and hierarchy as part of the democratic discourses that pervade the modern nation-state. It focuses on how the state and non-state actors create discursive silences and normalise violence against minority communities by embodying emotions of fear, hate and anger among its participants to protect Hindu nationalism. © Copyright 2017 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

You can't have the struggle without the ugly fringe - Publicness in Australian National Imagination: Media representations of the Muslim demonstrations in Sydney in 2012

- Patil, Tejaswini

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini
  • Date: 2015
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Continuum Vol. 29, no. 1 (2015), p. 57-69
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  • Description: Demonstrations in Sydney in September 2012 against the YouTube film Innocence of Muslims turned violent and caused huge community outcry. Many politicians and the mainstream media argued that the actions of the protesters were abhorrent and un-Australian. Some argued it was less about Muslims raising concern about an anti-Islamic film and more about them asserting their claim to what Michael Warner calls the counterpublic - discourses that occur outside of the mainstream media. I analyse the underlining discourses in the letters to the editor and opinion pieces in the print and online media, by using Warner's theory of publicness. The article shows that the dominant public discourse concentrated on characterizing Muslims as extremists and fundamentalists. Counterpublic discourses, however, challenged these dominant constructions, and argued that the tactic of dismissing the rioters is a way of denying political agency and by extension the very presence of a counterpublic. © 2015 Taylor & Francis.

‘Doing diversity’ in a social work context: reflecting on the use of critical reflection in social work education in an Australian University

- Patil, Tejaswini, Mummery, Jane

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Mummery, Jane
  • Date: 2020
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Social Work Education Vol. 39, no. 7 (2020), p. 893-906
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  • Description: There is abundant literature that teaches social work graduates to be culturally competent and critically reflective on issues of cultural diversity. However, it is evident that many competency based approaches do not effectively address issues of privilege, power and diversity. Such approaches can fail to challenge entrenched and/or unconscious biases concerning other cultures. This paper argues we need to move away from over-prioritizing the teaching and use of competency based models for dealing with diversity in disciplines such as Social Work. Using Sara Ahmed’s work on diversity and critical reflection, we present the findings from a survey of social work students. The positive news is that students’ reflections in critical essays and their responses to the learnings they achieved from a unit on race, suggested they were becoming more aware of how privilege and power worked in everyday interactions as well as professional interactions. The other side of the coin was their understanding of the social, political and ethical grounding of values was limited. Students tended to focus more on declaring their allegiance to social work values of ‘honesty, integrity or social justice’ to the point they were mere declarations or saying which become substitutes for actions. © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

“Before the training I just assumed they've done something bad”: Reporting on professional training for pharmacy assistants and pharmacy dispensary technicians on medically assisted treatment of opioid dependence

- Patil, Tejaswini, Mummery, Jane, Salman, Mohammed, Cooper, Simon, Williams, Dominic

  • Authors: Patil, Tejaswini , Mummery, Jane , Salman, Mohammed , Cooper, Simon , Williams, Dominic
  • Date: 2021
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy Vol. 17, no. 7 (2021), p. 1250-1258
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  • Description: Background: A study that examined the lived experiences of Medically Assisted Treatment of Opioid Dependence (MATOD) consumers suggested that they had experienced discrimination and stigma in pharmacies in regional Victoria, Australia. To address this, the need for professional training opportunities for Pharmacy Assistants (PAs) and Pharmacy Dispensary Technicians (PTDs) had been emphasised. A research project was undertaken to develop training modules using Social Determinants of Health (SDH) for PAs and PDTs involved in providing MATOD pharmacy services in regional Victoria, and to evaluate their effectiveness. Objectives: The study aimed to examine and evaluate changes in attitudes and practices amongst PAs and PDTs involved in MATOD services in regional Victoria, Australia and who had undertaken the training modules. Methods: The paper reports primarily on the in-depth qualitative interviews that were completed after the training with PAs and PTDs. Thematic analysis was employed to code the data. Results: Thematic analysis generated five themes: understanding of the professional role of PAs and PTDs, initial judgements concerning MATOD consumers, reflection on the SDH, training content analysis, and the post-training impact upon Professional Practice. These themes reflected participants’ insights with regards both to MATOD consumers and the impact the training itself had had on their professional practice. Conclusion: “Consciousness-raising” from participation in the training can positively influence the development of participants’ professional attitudes and practices with regards to MATOD service delivery. This development supports that training informed by SDH and ideas of critical reflection can help facilitate the creation of knowledge around the social construction of health and increased understanding of the impacts of language-use, attitudes and behaviour. © 2020
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