Urban planning process and discourses in the refusal of Islamic Schools in Sydney, Australia

摘要

The shift in Australia's religious demography since the 1970s has led to an increased need for places of worship, schools, and cultural facilities. However, the establishment of religious facilities by Australia's Islamic communities has not been without resistance. This article explores the way in which current local government planning processes mediate resistance to Islamic school development applications with reference to two case study proposals for Islamic schools in Sydney's southwest. Utilising the research technique of discourse analysis, three overarching discourses of concern are found to emerge: (1) incompatibility of the Islamic schools with the local government areas; (2) the absence of a sufficient local population of Muslims to sustain a local Islamic school; and (3) apprehensions about potential social impacts of the Islamic schools, particularly with regard to local youth violence. These discourses are conceptualised and situated in specific socio-cultural contexts, with specific effects. Discourse analysis provides a way of revealing latent and hidden value systems and their influence on seemingly technical/rational planning decision processes; in this case, exposing the ways in which particular constructions of incompatibility, absence, and social impact reflect underlying and specific beliefs and interpretation.View full textDownload full textKeywordsIslamic schools, discourse analysis, multiculturalism, religious schoolsRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07293682.2011.593531