Concept
Vertovec (2007) noted that migration to Britain shifted from a few large origin groups to many small, scattered ones, with sharp differences in legal status and rights even within one origin. Ethnic-group-based multiculturalism struggles to capture this.
Research
Phillimore (2011) showed new challenges for health access in Birmingham, and Wessendorf (2014) described 'commonplace diversity' in London. Crul and Schneider (2010) compared urban integration contexts, and Crul (2016) argued majority–minority cities unsettle assimilation assumptions.
Debate
Meissner and Vertovec (2015) extended the concept comparatively, and Vertovec (2019) reflected on criticism of overly broad use. It is discussed alongside debates on ethnic diversity and public goods and group threat theory.
FAQ
- What is superdiversity in simple terms?
- Diversity that has become more complex, mixing origin, legal status, language, religion and length of stay.
- Why does it matter?
- Policies designed around ethnic groups alone struggle to meet migrants' complex needs.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-diversity and its implications. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30(6), 1024–1054. The paper that coined the term.
- Crul, M., & Schneider, J. (2010). Comparative integration context theory: Participation and belonging in new diverse European cities. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 33(7), 1249–1268. Integration context across cities.
- Phillimore, J. (2011). Approaches to health provision in the age of super-diversity: Accessing the NHS in Britain's most diverse city. Critical Social Policy, 31(1), 5–29. Health services under super-diversity.
- Wessendorf, S. (2014). Commonplace diversity: Social relations in a super-diverse context. Palgrave Macmillan. Everyday relations in a super-diverse area.
- Meissner, F., & Vertovec, S. (2015). Comparing super-diversity. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 38(4), 541–555. Extends the concept comparatively.
- Crul, M. (2016). Super-diversity vs. assimilation: How complex diversity in majority–minority cities challenges the assumptions of assimilation. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 42(1), 54–68. Challenges assimilation assumptions.
- Vertovec, S. (2019). Talking around super-diversity. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 42(1), 125–139. Reflects on uses and critiques.