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'... we must combat blind ignorance with fact, and unreason with reason, and that is what this book is about.'Don Dunstan Pauline Hanson was not the first person to sensationalise the effects of Australia's open immigration policy on the racial make-up of this country. Nor was she the first politician to see advantage in building on the fear and prejudice beneath the surface of Australia's multicultural society. For the end of the White Australia policy in 1973 did not spell the end of fear of a peaceful Asian invasion through immigration. The Asianisation of Australia? contributes the dispassionate, independent and objective comment that has been missing from media debate on the effects of our immigration policies. It provides a wealth of data on the make-up of Australia's immigrant intake and the ability of immigrants to establish a place in their new country. Recent political rhetoric and forecasts are exposed for the myths, prejudices and over-simplifications that they are. By comparing such indicators as rates of employment, income, childbirth, intermarriage and fluency in English between Asian and other immigrants, Professors Jayasuriya and Kee convincingly demonstrate the valuable contribution made by Asian immigrants to our culture and our economy.

This work presents a systematic historical and analytical understanding of Sri Lanka′s social development. Instead of merely focussing on economic yardsticks, it studies the country′s development in the conceptual framework of social policy, with an emphasis on the way current institutions reflect the impact of previous political conflicts and struggles. The book critiques the country′s social policy from the perspectives of the Western theories of ′welfare state′ and development studies. It also provides valuable insights into the issues of modernization and democratization in colonial settings by analysing the distinctive nature of the Sri Lankan colonial experience. The book also looks at the future prospects of development in Sri Lanka in view of the unfolding of the complex social and political milieu following the end of the twenty-five-year-old civil war in the country. This book will be a seminal reference resource for students and researchers working in the fields of development studies, colonial studies, South Asian studies, sociology, history and political science.