Misplaced Pages

Superdiversity: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 16:08, 27 February 2015 editMiddayexpress (talk | contribs)109,244 edits format, rmv redflag← Previous edit Latest revision as of 09:26, 12 June 2024 edit undoMe, Myself, and I are Here (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users105,900 edits Researchers and research institutes: CQTags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit 
(70 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Term and concept in social science}}
{{Multiple issues|
'''Superdiversity''', or '''super-diversity''', is a ] term and concept often said to have been coined by sociologist ] in a 2007 article in ''Ethnic and Racial Studies'',<ref name=Vertovec>{{cite journal|first=Steven|last=Vertovec|title=Super-diversity and its implications|journal=Ethnic and Racial Studies|volume=30|issue=6|pages=1024–1054|year=2007|doi=10.1080/01419870701599465|s2cid=143674657 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmg.mpg.de/departments/socio-cultural-diversity/research-focus/ |title=Research focus|publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity|date= |accessdate=20 February 2015}}</ref> but which he first used in a ] article in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4266102.stm |title=Opinion: Super-diversity revealed |publisher=BBC News |date= 20 September 2005 |accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>
{{notability|Neologisms|date=February 2015}}
{{COI|date=February 2015}}
}}
'''Superdiversity''', or '''super-diversity''' is a ] term and concept often said to have been coined by sociologist Steven Vertovec in a 2007 article in ''Ethnic and Racial Studies'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870701599465 |title=Ethnic and Racial Studies : Volume 30, Issue 6, 2007 (Special Issue): ‘New Directions in the Anthropology of Migration and Multiculturalism’ |publisher=Tandfonline.com |accessdate=20 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mmg.mpg.de/departments/socio-cultural-diversity/research-focus/ |title=Research focus - MPI-MMG |publisher=Mmg.mpg.de |date= |accessdate=2015-02-20}}</ref> but which he first used in a ] article in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4266102.stm |title=Opinion: Super-diversity revealed |publisher=BBC.co.uk |date= 20 September 2005 |accessdate=2015-02-22}}</ref> It is used to refer to some current levels of population diversity that are significantly higher than before.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/superdiversity-institute/about/about-superdiversity.aspx |title=About superdiversity - University of Birmingham |publisher=Birmingham.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=2015-02-20}}</ref> Vertovec argues superdiversity in Britain 'is distinguished by a dynamic interplay of variables among an increased number of new, small and scattered, multiple-origin, transnationally connected, socio-economically differentiated and legally stratified immigrants who have arrived over the last decade.'<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870701599465 |title=Ethnic and Racial Studies : Volume 30, Issue 6, 2007 (Special Issue): ‘New Directions in the Anthropology of Migration and Multiculturalism’ |publisher=Tandfonline.com |accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> It denotes increased diversity not only between immigrant and ethnic minority groups, but also within them. It has also been called the 'diversification of diversity.'<ref>{{cite web|title=Recognise superdiversity in S’pore to overcome stereotyping|url=http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/education/recognise-superdiversity-spore-overcome-stereotyping|website=Today|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>


==Definition and usage==
Parveen Akhtar, a sociologist at the ], argues that the UK is no longer characterized by diversity but by superdiversity: 'Post-1945 you had large waves of immigration from fewer places in the world, largely from the former colonies. Now, since the 1980s, you’ve got smaller waves of immigration from a wider range of places.'<ref>{{cite web|title=How will 'super diversity' affect the future of British politics|url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/08/immigration-britains-changing-identity|website=Theguardian.com|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref>
The term superdiversity is used to refer to some current levels of population diversity that are significantly higher than before.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/superdiversity-institute/about/about-superdiversity.aspx |title=About superdiversity|publisher=University of Birmingham |date= |accessdate=20 February 2015}}</ref> Vertovec argues superdiversity in Britain "is distinguished by a dynamic interplay of variables among an increased number of new, small and scattered, multiple-origin, transnationally connected, socio-economically differentiated and legally stratified immigrants who have arrived over the last decade".<ref name=Vertovec/> It denotes increased diversity not only between immigrant and ethnic minority groups, but also within them. It has also been called the "diversification of diversity".<ref>{{cite news|title=Recognise superdiversity in S'pore to overcome stereotyping|url=http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/education/recognise-superdiversity-spore-overcome-stereotyping|work=Today|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> Vertovec gives the example of ], arguing that the Somali community includes British citizens, ] and ]s, people granted ], undocumented migrants, and ] from other European states.<ref name=Vertovec/> Parveen Akhtar, a sociologist at the ], argues that the UK is no longer characterized by diversity but by superdiversity: "Post-1945 you had large waves of immigration from fewer places in the world, largely from the former colonies. Now, since the 1980s, you’ve got smaller waves of immigration from a wider range of places".<ref>{{cite news|title=How will 'super diversity' affect the future of British politics|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/08/immigration-britains-changing-identity|work=The Guardian|date=8 October 2014 |accessdate=22 February 2015 |last1=Ratcliffe |first1=Rebecca }}</ref>


According to Nasar Meer, "Super-diversity has emerged both as a description of empirical phenomena (the proliferation of diversities) and as a normative claim that increased pluralism (both associated with migration as well as wider changes in our understanding of identity categories) requires social scientists and policy makers to develop approaches to register this".<ref>{{cite book|title=Key Concepts in Race and Ethnicity|first=Nasar|last=Meer|year=2014|location=London|publisher=Sage|isbn=9780857028686|page=144}}</ref>
Key researchers working on superdiversity include Vertovec, ] and Jenny Phillimore. The University of Birmingham established the Institute for Research into Superdiversity in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elkes |first=Neil |url=http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/superdiversity-represents-real-opportunity-birmingham-4311557 |title=Superdiversity represents real opportunity for Birmingham |publisher=Birmingham Post |date=2013-06-14 |accessdate=2015-02-20}}</ref> The ] in ] is also an important centre for superdiversity research.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://interlandaston.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/exploring-superdiversity-at-the-max-planck-institute/ |title=Exploring Superdiversity at the Max Planck Institute &#124; Interland at Aston University |publisher=Interlandaston.wordpress.com |date=2014-11-17 |accessdate=2015-02-20}}</ref>


The concept has started to have an impact on the fields of ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mutsaers|first1=Paul|last2=Swanenberg|first2=Jos|title=Super-diversity at the margins? Youth language in North Brabant, The Netherlands|journal=Sociolinguistic Studies|date=2012|volume=6|issue=1|pages=65–89|doi=10.1558/sols.v6i1.65|accessdate=22 February 2015}}</ref> According to Fran Meissner and Steven Vertovec, writing in 2015, the concept of superdiversity has been the subject of "considerable attention" since Vertovec introduced it in 2005. They note that Vertovec's 2007 article in ''Ethnic and Racial Studies'' is the most ] article in the history of the journal.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Comparing super-diversity|first1=Fran|last1=Meissner|first2=Steven|last2=Vertovec|journal=Ethnic and Racial Studies|volume=38|issue=4|pages=541–555|year=2015|doi=10.1080/01419870.2015.980295|s2cid=144463125 }}</ref> The concept has started to influence the fields of ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mutsaers|first1=Paul|last2=Swanenberg|first2=Jos|title=Super-diversity at the margins? Youth language in North Brabant, The Netherlands|journal=Sociolinguistic Studies|year=2012|volume=6|issue=1|pages=65–89|doi=10.1558/sols.v6i1.65}}</ref>

==Criticism==
Some authors are critical of the concept of superdiversity. Sinfree B. Makoni argues that the concept "contains a powerful sense of social romanticism, creating an illusion of equality in a highly asymmetrical world, particularly in contexts characterized by a search for homogenization...I find it disconcerting, to say the least, to have an open celebration of diversity in societies marked by violent xenophobia, such as South Africa".<ref>{{cite journal|title=A Critique of Language, Languaging and Supervernacular|first=Sinfree B.|last=Makoni|journal=Muitas Vozes|volume=1|issue=2|pages=189–199|year=2012|doi=10.5212/MuitasVozes.v.1i2.0003|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Ana Deumert argues: "The use of 'superdiverse' as a descriptive adjective, is a theoretical cul-de-sac, because the complexities brought about by diversity in the social world ultimately defy numerical measurement".<ref> Deumert, A. (2014) .</ref>
The claims of increased migrations and diversity have been challenged by Czajka and de Haas (2014). They observe that while globally the number of migrants has increased so has the world population so the ''proportion'' of migrants has actually decreased. In the Americas migration has increased but diversity has not. The fact that migrations have centered on a "shrinking pool of prime destination countries" (many of them small countries in Western Europe) led them to conclude that "the idea that immigration has become more diverse may partly reveal a Eurocentric worldview".<ref>Czajka, M. & de Haas (2014) ? International Migration Review, 48, 2, 283-323.</ref>
Aneta Pavlenko argues that superdiversity is an exercise in academic branding which fails as an academic term:<ref>Pavlenko, A (2016) </ref>
{{quote|text=The uptake of the slippery slogan is not surprising. The aesthetic appeal of truthiness and the illusion of novelty, contemporaneity and relevance undoubtedly explain some of the attraction yet we cannot ignore the fact that the advent of superdiversity provided scholars of multilingualism with a new means to move up the academic ladder, distinguish their publications, and fund their work.}}

==Researchers and research institutes==
Key researchers working on superdiversity include Vertovec, ] and Jenny Phillimore. The University of Birmingham established the Institute for Research into Superdiversity in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|last=Elkes |first=Neil |url=http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/superdiversity-represents-real-opportunity-birmingham-4311557 |title=Superdiversity represents real opportunity for Birmingham |work=Birmingham Post |date=14 June 2013|accessdate=20 February 2015}}</ref> The ] in ] is also an important centre for superdiversity research.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://interlandaston.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/exploring-superdiversity-at-the-max-planck-institute/ |title=Exploring Superdiversity at the Max Planck Institute|website=Interland at Aston University|publisher=Aston University|date=17 November 2014|accessdate=20 February 2015}}</ref>

New Zealand's "Superdiversity Stocktake: Impact on Business, Government and on New Zealand" was launched in November 2015<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/73871314/New-Zealand-needs-to-adapt-to-diversity|title=New Zealand needs to adapt to diversity|publisher=Stuff.co.nz|date=10 November 2015|accessdate=16 March 2016}}</ref> and sponsored by banks, companies, the ], and the ]. A study on "Implications of Superdiversity for NZ's Electoral Laws and Democracy" was also launched. Both projects were carried out by the Superdiversity Centre for Law, Policy and Business, which describes itself as "a multidisciplinary centre specialising in analysing the law, policy and business implications of New Zealand's superdiversity".<ref>{{cite web|title=Superdiversity Stocktake to launch|url=http://www.immigration.govt.nz/employers/retain/settlementactionz/sept2015/superdiversitystocktake.htm|publisher=Immigration New Zealand|accessdate=2 November 2015|date=1 October 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202070431/http://www.immigration.govt.nz/employers/retain/settlementactionz/sept2015/superdiversitystocktake.htm|archivedate=2 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Superdiversity Centre for Law, Policy and Business|url=http://www.chenpalmer.com/superdiversity/|publisher=Chen Palmer|accessdate=2 November 2015}}</ref> Its patron is Sir ] and its chair is ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Key Personnel|url=http://www.chenpalmer.com/superdiversity/key-personnel/|publisher=Chen Palmer|accessdate=2 November 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
*]
*]


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}

==General references==
* {{cite book |author1= Karel Arnaut |author2=Martha Sif Karrebæk |author3= Massimiliano Spotti |author4=Jan Blommaert |title= Engaging Superdiversity: Recombining Spaces, Times and Language Practices |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eKCVDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA1979 |date= 24 November 2016|publisher=Channel View Publications|isbn=978-1-78309-681-7|pages=1979–}}
* {{cite book|last1=Budach|first1=Gabriele|last2=Saint-Georges|first2=Ingrid de|title=Superdiversity and language|date=2017|publisher=Routledge Handbooks Online|isbn=9781138801981|page=Chapter 3|doi=10.4324/9781315754512}}


==External links== ==External links==
*
*
* *
*
*


] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]

Latest revision as of 09:26, 12 June 2024

Term and concept in social science

Superdiversity, or super-diversity, is a social science term and concept often said to have been coined by sociologist Steven Vertovec in a 2007 article in Ethnic and Racial Studies, but which he first used in a BBC article in 2005.

Definition and usage

The term superdiversity is used to refer to some current levels of population diversity that are significantly higher than before. Vertovec argues superdiversity in Britain "is distinguished by a dynamic interplay of variables among an increased number of new, small and scattered, multiple-origin, transnationally connected, socio-economically differentiated and legally stratified immigrants who have arrived over the last decade". It denotes increased diversity not only between immigrant and ethnic minority groups, but also within them. It has also been called the "diversification of diversity". Vertovec gives the example of Somalis in the United Kingdom, arguing that the Somali community includes British citizens, refugees and asylum seekers, people granted exceptional leave to remain, undocumented migrants, and secondary migrants from other European states. Parveen Akhtar, a sociologist at the University of Bradford, argues that the UK is no longer characterized by diversity but by superdiversity: "Post-1945 you had large waves of immigration from fewer places in the world, largely from the former colonies. Now, since the 1980s, you’ve got smaller waves of immigration from a wider range of places".

According to Nasar Meer, "Super-diversity has emerged both as a description of empirical phenomena (the proliferation of diversities) and as a normative claim that increased pluralism (both associated with migration as well as wider changes in our understanding of identity categories) requires social scientists and policy makers to develop approaches to register this".

According to Fran Meissner and Steven Vertovec, writing in 2015, the concept of superdiversity has been the subject of "considerable attention" since Vertovec introduced it in 2005. They note that Vertovec's 2007 article in Ethnic and Racial Studies is the most cited article in the history of the journal. The concept has started to influence the fields of sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology.

Criticism

Some authors are critical of the concept of superdiversity. Sinfree B. Makoni argues that the concept "contains a powerful sense of social romanticism, creating an illusion of equality in a highly asymmetrical world, particularly in contexts characterized by a search for homogenization...I find it disconcerting, to say the least, to have an open celebration of diversity in societies marked by violent xenophobia, such as South Africa". Ana Deumert argues: "The use of 'superdiverse' as a descriptive adjective, is a theoretical cul-de-sac, because the complexities brought about by diversity in the social world ultimately defy numerical measurement". The claims of increased migrations and diversity have been challenged by Czajka and de Haas (2014). They observe that while globally the number of migrants has increased so has the world population so the proportion of migrants has actually decreased. In the Americas migration has increased but diversity has not. The fact that migrations have centered on a "shrinking pool of prime destination countries" (many of them small countries in Western Europe) led them to conclude that "the idea that immigration has become more diverse may partly reveal a Eurocentric worldview". Aneta Pavlenko argues that superdiversity is an exercise in academic branding which fails as an academic term:

The uptake of the slippery slogan is not surprising. The aesthetic appeal of truthiness and the illusion of novelty, contemporaneity and relevance undoubtedly explain some of the attraction yet we cannot ignore the fact that the advent of superdiversity provided scholars of multilingualism with a new means to move up the academic ladder, distinguish their publications, and fund their work.

Researchers and research institutes

Key researchers working on superdiversity include Vertovec, Jan Blommaert and Jenny Phillimore. The University of Birmingham established the Institute for Research into Superdiversity in 2013. The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen is also an important centre for superdiversity research.

New Zealand's "Superdiversity Stocktake: Impact on Business, Government and on New Zealand" was launched in November 2015 and sponsored by banks, companies, the Human Rights Commission, and the Ministry of Education. A study on "Implications of Superdiversity for NZ's Electoral Laws and Democracy" was also launched. Both projects were carried out by the Superdiversity Centre for Law, Policy and Business, which describes itself as "a multidisciplinary centre specialising in analysing the law, policy and business implications of New Zealand's superdiversity". Its patron is Sir Anand Satyanand and its chair is Mai Chen.

See also

References

  1. ^ Vertovec, Steven (2007). "Super-diversity and its implications". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 30 (6): 1024–1054. doi:10.1080/01419870701599465. S2CID 143674657.
  2. "Research focus". Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. "Opinion: Super-diversity revealed". BBC News. 20 September 2005. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  4. "About superdiversity". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  5. "Recognise superdiversity in S'pore to overcome stereotyping". Today. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  6. Ratcliffe, Rebecca (8 October 2014). "How will 'super diversity' affect the future of British politics". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  7. Meer, Nasar (2014). Key Concepts in Race and Ethnicity. London: Sage. p. 144. ISBN 9780857028686.
  8. Meissner, Fran; Vertovec, Steven (2015). "Comparing super-diversity". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 38 (4): 541–555. doi:10.1080/01419870.2015.980295. S2CID 144463125.
  9. Mutsaers, Paul; Swanenberg, Jos (2012). "Super-diversity at the margins? Youth language in North Brabant, The Netherlands". Sociolinguistic Studies. 6 (1): 65–89. doi:10.1558/sols.v6i1.65.
  10. Makoni, Sinfree B. (2012). "A Critique of Language, Languaging and Supervernacular". Muitas Vozes. 1 (2): 189–199. doi:10.5212/MuitasVozes.v.1i2.0003.
  11. Deumert, A. (2014) Digital superdiversity: A commentary. Discourse, Context, and Media, 4-5, 116–120.
  12. Czajka, M. & de Haas (2014) The globalization of migration: Has the world become more migratory? International Migration Review, 48, 2, 283-323.
  13. Pavlenko, A (2016) Superdiversity and why it isn't: Reflections on terminological innovations and academic branding
  14. Elkes, Neil (14 June 2013). "Superdiversity represents real opportunity for Birmingham". Birmingham Post. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  15. "Exploring Superdiversity at the Max Planck Institute". Interland at Aston University. Aston University. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  16. "New Zealand needs to adapt to diversity". Stuff.co.nz. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
  17. "Superdiversity Stocktake to launch". Immigration New Zealand. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  18. "Superdiversity Centre for Law, Policy and Business". Chen Palmer. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  19. "Key Personnel". Chen Palmer. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

General references

External links

Categories: