J.J. Smolicz and his Multicultural Legacy in Australia

Abstract

A sociological model of a multicultural society was developed by the late Professor Jerzy Smolicz, School of Education at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. The aim of this paper is to review the development of the model and its impact on education and social policy in Australia. Professor Smolicz was a distinguished scholar whose works on cultural and linguistic pluralism have been well recognised in Australia and internationally. His formulation of multiculturalism was based on core values as symbolic of a particular cultural group and its members, in juxtaposition with overarching values which are shared across all groups in society. The model was developed to understand the possible patterns of social and cultural interaction among members of the dominant and minority ethnic groups and thus to provide directions for education and social policy.