Deakin Distinguished Professor Fethi Mansouri wants to enable a deeper understanding of the impacts of social policy and discourse on the individuals, groups and societies in Australia and beyond.  

An abiding interest in what makes different cultures tick and a deep commitment to social justice have shaped the impressive career of Professor Mansouri, who is founding Director of Deakin University’s Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation (ADI) and holds a research chair in migration and intercultural studies at Deakin.  

‘Research on diversity governance, social justice and intercultural relations is at the heart of substantive issues impacting our society today, such as citizenship, social cohesion, and equitable and sustainable development,’ he says.  

An internationally renowned expert on migration, diversity and intercultural relations, Professor Mansouri joined Deakin in 1995 as an associate lecturer in Middle Eastern studies and was awarded a research chair in migration and intercultural studies in 2008. He serves as an advisor for United Nations agencies, as well as various government agencies and NGOs, including the Victorian State Government and the Australian Intercultural Society, and has held the UNESCO Chair in Comparative Research of Cultural Diversity and Social Justice since 2013.  He was twice named by The Australian’s Research magazine as Australia’s top researcher in the field of Human Migration studies (2023 and 2024). 

‘Deakin has provided an exceptionally supportive environment where a mix of support structures and an enduring progressive agenda meant that I was able to take my research interests to significantly higher levels in terms of activities, outputs and impact,’ Professor Mansouri says.  

‘What I enjoy most about my work is the process of discovery that is driven by collaborations across disciplines and partnerships with important stakeholders. This kind of partnership-led research often generates optimal social impact and not merely academic impact through publications. To be able to do both is extremely satisfying within humanities and social science research.’  

Professor Mansouri’s significant multi-disciplinary body of research has led to new ways of thinking about diversity and intercultural relations as they relate to intercultural understanding, social justice, and human rights, especially for migrants and minorities in Australia and internationally.  

‘A lack of understanding of how to incorporate and reflect diversity in cultural, social, political and economic decision-making processes has led, and is likely to continue to lead, to discrimination, social fissures and, in many cases, outright conflict around the world,’ he says.  

‘This is why various United Nations agencies, in particular UNESCO, view intercultural dialogue as a key strategic objective that can mitigate against conflict and injustices.’  

Professor Mansouri’s ‘deep intellectual curiosity’ about how different cultural systems function and how they shape individuals’ views of and attitudes towards members of other ethnic and national groups first led him to study different languages and cultures and, eventually, to focus on migration, diversity, and intercultural studies.  

His research has been applied in many different contexts, including governance, education, migration and media, to help understand how diversity in society can create social cohesion, justice and inclusion rather than conflict, injustice and exclusion.  

‘One simple thing anyone can do to improve society is to ensure that they show empathy and respect to everyone else, especially the most vulnerable amongst us,’ he says.  

‘To put it differently, if we all treat everyone else exactly the same way we would like to be treated, then the world will surely become a much better place. This is the foundation for respect, inclusion and justice.’