Making the Most of Superdiversity: Notes on the Potential of a New Approach

This chapter begins by problematising the relationship between identity and difference as a way to rethink the dimensions and fluidity that superdiversity consists of. It provides a brief background of the debate on the death (or serious illness, or rebranding) of multiculturalism. The chapter then locates the specificities of superdiversity. It suggests the adoption of a superdiversity approach in the drafting of guidelines on diversity management such as the Common Basic Principles for Immigrant Integration Policy in the European Union (Council of the European Union, 2004) and the Action Plan on the Integration of Third Country Nationals (European Commission, 2016). The Roma minority(ies) in Europe serves as a useful case study to exemplify how superdiversity can help us depart from the dominance of ethnicity as the main category for identity policy without negating its relevance, in order to encourage the development of inclusive policies towards minority groups and neighbourhoods that take into account multiple variables.