One of the strengths of Professor Bulbulia’s presentation was his ability to contextualise his research and directly link it to a wider theme. Drawing on the example of ANZAC day, Bulbulia noted that his overarching interest was examining how our direct connections to events may deteriorate, but the rituals at the heart of them are often preserved. This idea of ritual, and by extension spirituality, as a deeply symbolic aspect of community was evident throughout Bulbulia’s presentation.
Continuing the effort of exposing the prejudice against the Muslim community, Professor Bulbulia’s research was focused on determining the social elements which influence this prejudice. Beyond its timeliness, what struck me about Bulbulia’s research was its ability to take prejudice out of the abstract. For example, Bulbulia found that New Zealanders tend to be more accepting of immigrants in general as opposed to Muslims specifically (127). As we can recognise, the prejudice against the Muslim community is both tangible and pervasive.
While Bulbulia’s research is insightful in its own right, I would be interested to see it expanded even further. For example, Bulbulia’s references to media representation and the focus on the violence in the middle east were compelling conclusions, but I feel like they could be developed further to give a greater insight into the roots of this pervasive prejudice. Moving forward, if this research were to put a greater emphasis on causality, I believe its potential to achieve greater accountability would be realized.
Reference:
• Bulbulia, Joseph, et al. “Attitudes to Religion Predict Warmth for Muslims in New Zealand” New Zealand Journal of Psychology, vol. 48, no. 1, 2019, pp. 122-133
