Sydney and the Appearance of the Middle Eastern

Abstract

This work addresses the phrase of Middle Eastern appearance, and the related concept of ‘the Middle East’ as it has played out in Sydney over the last ten years. It focuses on the key event of the notorious Cronulla Riots of 2005, and on the healing responses to that event. Forms addressed range from inter-personal jokes to anonymous ‘viral’ internet communications, to short films, and then to recently published, and highly influential, children’s literature. Cautiously re-negotiating the language and its concepts can be shown to have occurred with sensitivity, humour and use of new media.