SUPPORT FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS authored by Raja (Arasa) Ratnam
The Karma of Culture by Arasa
"Writing from the
perspective of an Asian Australian, Arasa addresses some of the
fundamental questions confronting human kind at the present time. The
clash of collectivism and individualism is seen as an East/West issue.
Here is available, perhaps for the first time, an insightful 'take' on
Australian society written by an 'insider' who, paradoxically, is an
'outsider' as well. ...enormously
interesting and not uncontroversial ...".
- John Western,
Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Queensland, Australia
"Ratnam's book is a
wake-up call for a more independent national policy on immigration and
multicultural policy. Coming from a well-informed former migrant, who has
embraced this country as his own, his message has particular value. ...
Impressed with the depth of (his) analysis".
- Professor Bob
Birrell, Director, Centre for Population & Urban Research, Monash University, Australia.
"This is a book that
every Australian should read. It provides a unique insight into the
society and culture of contemporary Australia from someone who has
been both an insider and an outsider in Australia. It has a refreshing
honesty in an age in which 'spin' and euphemism too often combine to hide
the true nature of things. You may not always agree with what the book
says but you will be compelled to sit up and think more deeply about our
contemporary world. I think that the book has that element of honesty and
insight that much of what is currently published does not. I hope that it will
be read widely."
- Associate Professor Greg Melleuish, Head, School of History and Politics, Wollongong University, Australia.
Hidden Footprints of Unity by Arasa
Chapter 4 — 'Which Way to the Cosmos?'
"I find the concepts in 'Hidden
Footprints of Unity' most appealing, coming as they do from an agile mind which
has managed to embrace cultures usually seen as competitive, or even enemies.
This book should prove a precious contribution to mutual understanding".
-
James
Murray, SSC, recently retired Religious Affairs Editor, 'The Australian'
Chapter 5 — 'Peering into the Void'
"As
for your writing, it takes us out of our norms, our comfort zones, and reminds
the reader that what we assume is objective historical reality is often mere
permeable ideology, an arbitrary sense of order imposed upon the flux of life".
-
Paul Sheehan, Columnist, 'Sydney Morning Herald' and renowned author.
Chapter 2 — 'The power of pigmentation'
"The value of Chapter 2 lies in its use of personal experience
of living in Australia.
One is struck by the author's sincerityand,
at times, magnanimity in recounting the lack of tolerance at the hands of
colleagues and acquaintances."
-
Jerzy
Zubrzycki, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, ANU
Chapter 6 -
'The end of tribalism?'
"No
question is more likely to provoke a quarrel between friends than some aspect
of population policy. Are there too many Australians? Are the ones we have the
right kind? Raja Ratnam is doubly privileged to reflect on such matters. He was
a Malayan Hindu arrival when White Australia prevailed. By the 1980s,
he was a senior public servant dealing with high policy.
His comments strike me as contrary and contradictory.
He can be as anachronistic in his portrayal of Aussie customs as he is
penetrating in his glimpses into how all Australians have managed the personal
strains of living in a new place with even newer-comers. He is at his most
perplexing when retelling his professional involvement with immigration
policies. No one will read through this chapter without crying out "Too right"
before having to stop themselves slamming the book shut with a shout of "What
rot".
Yet his retrospect and his prognosis are conveyed in a
congenial voice, one that should contribute more to the sense of communal
responsibility that he champions. Meanwhile, his neo-Liberalism seems set to
demolish what Australia
retains of these values."
- Humphrey McQueen,
historian and renowned author.
