Everyday Life

This collection draws together examples of the everyday life of the Syrian immigrant community in Australia, under the White Australia Policy. The Sydney News article, ‘Syrians in the South’, is particularly interesting- it not only notes the occupations and housing situations but draws similarities between the Syrians and British subjects. It has very high praise for the Syrian community in Redfern, an unusual occurrence for the Australian press who were normally quite disparaging of Syrians, in particular Syrian hawkers. The article refutes criticisms that Syrian men are lazy, their women are overly tenacious in their sales and that they are bringing diseases into Australia. It is a rare case of level headedness in the Australian press at this time; the majority of other articles focus on the threat that ‘Asian’ immigrants pose to the overall wellbeing of the Australian community (as seen in other collections on this site; for example the displeasure expressed in newspapers regarding the ‘hawker menace’, etc.).

There is also an article detailing a Syrian banquet in Melbourne held in which toasts were made to both the English King and the Ottoman Sultan. This article is incredibly useful in examining the extent that Syrian immigrants went to in order to deny their Asian classification. Syrian immigrants were aware that their qualification as Asian excluded them for a significant number of benefits extended to European citizens. As such, they often attempted to downplay any ‘Asian’ characteristics and highlight anything that aligned them with British subjects, i.e.: their religion (Christianity), skin colour, and customs. The article regarding the visit of Sheik Joseph Stephan, Senator of the Republic of Lebanon, to Adelaide also addresses the question of lifting the prejudices against Syrian immigrants in Australia. Stephan directly mentions the fact that Lebanese are largely Christians, implying that it is a characteristic that should set Syrian apart from other ‘Asian’ races and closer to Europeans

These articles demonstrate that even in their day to day lives Syrian immigrants recognised the importance of differentiating themselves from Asian races.