Echoes of Home: Ethnic Broadcasting Waves Weaving Prosthetic Memory and Multicultural Identity in Australia

Book: Cultural Memory in Translation: Revisiting Cultural Memory Through Interpretative Lens from India by CSMFL Publications

Dr. Charitha Dissanayake
School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne, Australia.

10.46679/9789349926639ch06
This chapter is a part of: Cultural Memory in Translation: Revisiting Cultural Memory Through Interpretative Lens from India
ISBN (Ebook):978-93-49926-63-9
ISBN (Hardcover Print):978-93-49926-41-7
ISBN (Softcover Print):978-93-49926-75-2

© CSMFL Publications & its authors.
Published: November 10, 2025

Dissanayake, C. (2025). Echoes of Home: Ethnic Broadcasting Waves Weaving Prosthetic Memory and Multicultural Identity in Australia. In A. G. Uppal & D. Barot, Cultural Memory in Translation: Revisiting Cultural Memory Through Interpretative Lens (pp 67-88). CSMFL Publications. https://dx.doi.org/10.46679/9789349926639ch06

Abstract

In the vast landscape of Australia’s multicultural society (Australia. National Multicultural Advisory Council, 1999), ethnic broadcasting (Dissanayake, 2021) stands as a powerful medium through which migrant communities maintain connections with their cultural heritage while simultaneously establishing new identities in their adopted homeland (Patterson, 1981). This chapter examines how ethnic radio programs function as vehicles for prosthetic memory (Ciocea & Cârlan, 2015) formation-creating deeply felt connections to cultural experiences that listeners may not have directly lived-and how these mediated memories contribute to multicultural identity construction (Australia. National Multicultural Advisory Council, 1999) in contemporary Australia (O’Donnell et al., 2024). Through the broadcasting of nostalgic cultural artifacts (Pickering & Keightley, 2006) such as traditional music, folklore, and oral narratives in languages other than English, ethnic radio programs enable migrant communities to maintain, refresh, and transmit cultural memories across geographical distances and generational divides. This process transcends mere information sharing; it actively constructs shared memories that might otherwise erode due to displacement and time (Dissanayake, 2021). By analyzing the intersection of prosthetic memory theory (Landsberg, 1995), cultural memory transmission, and the practical realities of ethnic broadcasting in Australia, this chapter reveals how broadcasting carry profound implications for identity formation in diasporic communities, ultimately contributing to Australia’s evolving multicultural fabric.

Keywords: Ethnic Broadcasting, Prosthetic Memory, Multicultural Identity Construction, Cultural Memory Transmission, Diasporic Communities

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