Superdiversity: New paths for social sciences in the upcoming future

Abstract

Contemporary society has been characterized by its social complexity, which was boosted thanks to international migration flows, among other factors. This phenomenon brought us ‘superdiversity’ as a concept, which has been very well received by many social scientists, as well as criticized by others due to its similarities with previous notions such as diversity, multiculturalism, interculturalism or even intersectionality. However, this concept, with all the semantic breadth and defining ramifications that characterize it, has opened an interpretive door, and made possible an analytical framework that differs from the rest. As a result, we find superdiversity as a guiding research concept throughout all social sciences areas assuming a whole variety of approaches, without necessarily considering international migrations as a background variable. This monograph reflects this reality and is presented as a hybridization of more orthodox positions with other more flexible and interpretive ones.