Abstract:
This research explores the experiences of Muslim women in contemporary
Australia, focusing on the idea of 'sanctuary' or security. In the context of prevailing
concerns about national security, it explores security on a more human scale,
looking at Muslim women's sense of physical, social and emotional security in
Australia today. The research will develop the concept of sanctuary or being safe,
as a challenge to the dominant conflation in public discourse of security with
national borders and sovereignty.
This paper maps out the key concepts that are being developed as part of a new
research project entitled 'Sanctuary and Security in Contemporary Australia: Muslim
Women's Networks 1980-2005', being conducted by myself and other researchers
at the Transforming Cultures Centre at UTS.[1]In this paper I will present an
overview of the prevailing conception of security as national security, before
challenging the idea of security in Australia by examining the acute insecurity of
Muslim Australians' everyday lives. Finally, I will introduce the idea of sanctuary and
outline the goals of the 'Sanctuary and Security' project.
