Superdiversity

File
The Editors
04/04/2023

The concept of superdiversity was pioneered by anthropologist Steven Vertovec in his 2007 paper “Super-diversity and its implications”. In that paper Vertovec drew attention to the tremendous demographic changes that had occurred in London since the early to mid-1990’s. While up to that point “diversity” was commonly perceived in terms of relatively stable, organized and clearly identifiable ethnoreligious groups, Vertovec observed a considerable “diversification of diversity”.  When we speak of superdiversity, we refer to the complex multiplicity of cultures, languages, religions and other social and demographic factors that shape our diverse and fluid identities.

In this file we have compiled some interesting articles and papers on the topic of superdiversity. Enjoy!

BIOR: local vs global voices in a case of cultural appropriation

Paper
Andreea-Diana Dobrescu
13/03/2023
13 minutes to read

This essay explores the concept of cultural appropriation in a globalized world, examining its various forms, its impact on marginalized communities, and the power dynamics between local and global voices.

Moorkop

Revealing racist words in the superdiverse era

Paper
Anne Marte Gardenier
20/05/2020
11 minutes to read

This article focuses on Dutch vocabulary changes that are brought on by inter-cultural contact as a result of globalization. The superdiverse population of the Netherlands is raising awareness for racist Dutch vocabulary. 

Lady Gaga on the red carpet

Little Monsters: The fans behind Lady Gaga

Article
Juul Seuren
03/01/2020
11 minutes to read

Pop artist and icon Lady Gaga has a huge fanbase who call themselves Little Monsters. These Little Monsters can be described as a social group. This article introduces them and focuses on how they function as a group in today's society.

Chinese Indonesian hairdresser in Jakarta, Indonesia

Identity crisis: the confusion of being Chinese Indonesian

Article
Jessaline Tanjung
05/11/2019
11 minutes to read

Chinese Indonesians experience a kind of constant identity crisis, not knowing whether they belong to Chinese or Indonesian society. This article explores how they strike a delicate balance in the in-between.

Bülent Arpaci Celebration Carnival Venray Dutch Tradition

Participating in Dutch carnival: Bülent the Turkish kebab man

Article
Claudia Gerards
25/09/2019
14 minutes to read

Carnival in the Netherlands is a weird tradition for many, but not for kebab man Bülent Arpaci. How did a small town in Northern-Limburg react to his Turkish carnival song, written in the local dialect?

TAylor Swift Swifties Fandom superdiversity

Superdiversity within the Swifties

Article
Sam van Alebeek
30/12/2017
10 minutes to read

The fandom of Taylor Swift consists of people from places all over the world. However, they do wear the same merchandise and interact with each other on online platforms, so in what way exactly are Swifties superdiverse? 

Fandom in times of superdiversity: the case of Sherlock

Paper
Suzanne Frenk
24/05/2017
14 minutes to read

By applying Howard Becker's theory, as well as theories on superdiversity, to a community of fans on Tumblr, this article attempts to shed some light on the internal workings of the JohnLock Conspiracy community in the digital age.

"How our plates make the world go round"

Deconstructing the 'Kapsalon'

Article
Anastasia Goana
29/08/2016
5 minutes to read

In this article, Anastasia Goana Go Ying Ying deconstructs the 'kapsalon shoarma'. She argues that the kapsalon can be read as an index of superdiversity.

A superdiverse group

Superdiversity changes the world and people in it

Article
Monika Nemcová
07/04/2016
7 minutes to read

What is superdiversity? This article looks at the concept of social identity in context of the contemporary superdiverse world and explains why it needs to be reconceptualized.