Australian responses to the images and discourses of terrorism and the other: establishing a metric of fear

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The world was changed on 9/11. Small-scale studies indicate half the Australian non-Muslim population is now anti-Muslim and up to 80% of Muslims are in a siege mentality. This research examines Australian perceptions of the other, of terrorism, of refugees and of fears about these. In seeking to analyse these influences upon contemporary society, the project investigates ways that policy can drive appropriate communication responses to racism and to social isolation, particularly in supporting fear-filled communities. Arguing that the global response to 9/11 is out of proportion to the events themselves, the study suggests strategies to support ethnically diverse groups that feel threatened by media discourses and adverse public opinion.