In this chapter, we draw on our research with our community of origin to deepen
our understanding of the multiple responses to the immigration-settlement processes
within a broader context of race relations in Australia. One study explored the
notion of sense of community and its role in the settlement of South African immigrants
in Australia (Sonn, 2002 ; Sonn & Fisher, 1996 , 2003, 2005) and the other
explored the ways in which South African women are negotiating identity through
the dimensions of race, and ethnicity in Australia (Lewis, 2008) . Key aims are to
highlight the dynamic and complex nature of social identity construction and to
clarify ways in which people go about constructing subjectivities in the new country.
Specifically, we explore these issues by bringing into focus a liberation perspective
that considers issues of power and histories of colonization and oppression in
understanding individual and community responses in new contexts.