From diaspora to belonging: the paths of early Lebanese settlers in Australia

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the twentieth century experiences of settlement among Lebanese Australians, particularly through their participation in Australia's armed forces. Although the Lebanese have been in Australia since the 1880s, their participation in Australia's armed forces (in WWI and WWII) have not been examined thoroughly in the recordings of Australian military, and migration history. Current literature on the migration experiences of the Lebanese diaspora in different countries reveals a variety of responses to the process of migration. Under some circumstances, such as in Canada (Abu Laban 1980), the diaspora community maintained its Lebanese culture. In other instances, such as in the USA (Naff 1992 and Hitti 1924) and New Zealand (Thornton 1968), the Lebanese community tended to assimilate into the host culture. This poses the question - what were the historical, political and socio-economic conditions which gave rise to these different responses? This thesis addresses the assimilation patterns of the early Lebanese settlers in Australia and assesses how military involvement shaped, and was shaped by, assimilation into Australian society. One means to answer this question was through an analysis of the participation of the Lebanese community in Australia's armed forces. Although the Lebanese had been in Australia since the 1880s their participation in Australia's armed forces specifically during WWI and WWII was significant. Yet, to date there is no academic study that systematically investigates the involvement of the Lebanese diaspora and the participation of Lebanese migrants in Australian, Canadian or American Defence Forces in the 20th century. This study provides a historical and sociological account of the twentieth century experiences of settlement among Australian Lebanese, and in doing so will explore their participation in Australia's armed forces. Early Lebanese migrants under the White Australia Policy present an intriguing contribution to migration history because the Lebanese saw themselves as 'European', while the host country classified them as aliens (Batrouney 1992). There was therefore tension between migrants' self-identity and the host country's accommodation of their differences. My research finds that, despite this tension, many Australian Lebanese successfully negotiated the process of assimilation through a variety of processes and practices. First, early Lebanese assimilation often occurred through the adoption of hawking as their first immigrant occupation, which widened their social participation. Second, many immigrants modified or jettisoned their Lebanese identity in a variety of ways to adapt to the host community. Third, the Australian Armed forces was the institution that gave many Lebanese migrants the opportunity to 'prove' themselves as Australians, or (for those who did not enlist) their patriotic actions was a means to contribute to the war effort and be seen as Australians. This thesis argues that the early Lebanese experiences of growing up in Australia, shaped a determination to assimilate and integrate. Early Lebanese assimilation often occurred through their adoption of entrepreneurial hawking as their first immigrant occupation and introduction to Australian society. Hawking allowed many early Lebanese to venture into cities and towns across Australia and this laid the foundations for the Lebanese settlers to quickly assimilate. The thesis concludes by showing how, after their war experiences, many of the Australian Lebanese veterans felt more confident in reinforcing their loyalty to Australia through participation in civil society, maintaining an allegiance to their battalions or being active in community organisations. My research used document analysis and qualitative research methods based on face-to-face or telephone interviews. The evidence in the thesis relied on the personal narratives and first-hand accounts of Lebanese Australian servicemen and women. Show more