Udah, Hyacinth, Singh, Parlo, and Udah, Chinyere (2025) Transformative leadership: bridging racial and ethnic divisions in multicultural Australia. Social Identities Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture. (In Press)

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Abstract

In this article, we draw on a qualitative pilot study to examine how transformative leadership practices can bridge racial and ethnic divisions in multicultural Australia. Through thematic and framework analysis of semi-structured interview and focus group discussions with personnel from Barefoot to Boots, a grassroots refugee support organisation, we explore how participants with experiences of migration engage in everyday practices of disruption, care, solidarity, and creative negotiation of space to reshape belonging, challenge dominant norms of whiteness, and promote equity in settler-colonial Australia. The findings indicate that leadership is not simply about formal authority but rather an ethical, relational and place-based practice rooted in community engagement and justice. The article contributes to scholarship on racial justice, leadership and migration studies by highlighting how minoritised leaders reimagine national identity and belonging. It concludes with implications for anti-racism praxis, leadership development, and equity-focused policymaking within and beyond Australia.

Item ID:	89148
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1363-0296
Keywords:	Belonging, community engagement and justice, multiculturalism, settler colonialism, transformative leadership, whiteness
Copyright Information:	© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2025 00:23
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