The 24th AASSREC Biennial General Conference was held as a virtual event from 19-21 October 2021 on the topic: “Navigating the future with and after Covid-19: The role of social sciences in Asia.”

Professor Fethi Mansouri chaired and moderated the fourth-panel session, Locked Down: How COVID has changed how we live, learn and work.

Almost every Muslim living in Australia has experienced some form of unfavourable treatment based on their religion, race or ethnicity.

Professor Fethi Mansouri, Director of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at the Deakin University and one of the authors of the article: “These young Muslim Australians want to meet Islamophobes and change their minds” talks to Willy Russo about this amazing group of young people and what they’re finding out.

Professor Mansouri and his research team at the Alfred Deakin Institute, in partnership with the Council for Australian-Arab Relations, have embarked on a series of training and capacity-building projects. These inter-connected projects aim to support Tunisian NGOs working with marginalised communities, particularly in regional and remote communities, through this difficult post-revolution, nation-building period.

Tunisia’s President has stood down the Prime Minister and suspended parliament in response to failures of economic and health policy and ‘imminent danger threatening the nation’.

Opponents are calling the move a constitutional coup and supporters have taken to the streets to celebrate.

Meanwhile, it’s unclear what it bodes for the country’s future.

Professor Fethi Mansouri was interviewed on SBS Arabic 24 radio on what we need to combat persisting Islamophobia in Australia

Professor Fethi Mansouri is pleased to announce the publishing of his book, ‘Racism in Australia Today’.

This book, co-authored with Dr Amanuel Elias and Professor Yin Paradies, focuses on historical and current data to examine racism in Australia. Making use of the latest state and federal data sets, it critically synthesises contemporary research on race relations with a focus on racism and anti-racism initiatives.

Employing innovative analytical methods, the book provides students and researchers with a current and up-to-date analytical framework, and benchmark empirical evidence on race relations. In addition, the book also analyses research data from other countries in order to generate some comparative insights and draw possible lessons and policy implications for Australia.

New Journal Article by Professor Fethi Mansouri and Dr Enqi Weng.

Despite the implementation of multicultural policies since the 1970s, anxiety over cultural and religious ‘others’ continue to challenge Australia’s diversifying national identity.

Racism and xenophobia associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disproportionately affect migrants and minority groups worldwide. They exacerbate existing patterns of discrimination and inequity, impacting especially those already facing intersecting social, economic and health vulnerabilities.

Professor Fethi Mansouri’s article was recently published in the Melbourne Asia Review.

Few migrant communities in contemporary Australian society evoke the same level of polarisation and contestation as those originating from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Literature on intergroup contact shows that in the absence of the required structural conditions, contact is not necessarily always a positive experience and that when it is negative, it can lead to heightened conflict and increased prejudice toward outgroups.

Professor Fethi Mansouri was recently interviewed on SBS Arabic 24 radio on the normalisation of Arab states with Israel and its implications for the Palestinian cause.

Following on from his recent article co-authored with Professor Greg Barton and published on ABC’s Religion and Ethics online, Professor Fethi Mansouri was interviewed by Andrew West from On The Religion and Ethics Report on ABC Radio National, asking if aggressive secularism is dividing France.

Professor Fethi Mansouri has recently had an opinion piece published on the ABC Religion & Ethics website.

ADI Director, Professor Fethi Mansouri, was this week, named one of 38 new fellows elected this year to the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

On 30 October, Professor Fethi Mansouri wrote an article for The Conversation.

The article, co-authored with Professor Greg Barton, was written in response to the recent terror attacks that occurred in Nice, France.

Professor Fethi Mansouri is pleased to announce the release of the final report from the project, ‘Dissecting Islamophobia: Understanding the varied racialisation of Islam using Latent Class Analysis.

Professor Fethi Mansouri was asked for his view on the latest events occurring in France during his recent interview with Iman Riman and Manal Al Ani on SBS Arabic24 radio.

The growing intellectual and policy debate around optimal approaches to diversity governance, particularly in relation to criticism of multiculturalism, is now entering a new phase

Professor Fethi Mansouri was recently published in Religions (MDPI).

Professor Fethi Mansouri was recently interviewed by SBS Arabic Radio to provide his thoughts on this year’s World Day of Peace, held annually on 21 September.