Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS)

Dr Andri Soteri-Proctor. Theory and Method Stream Lead &

Dr Jenny Phillimore, Director of IRiS

Localism, Grass Roots & Superdiversity: Implications for the Voluntary and Community Sector

LocalismSuperdiversityGrassroots groupsIRiS

Localism Devolution with shift of power from central

government to:– local government– Communities– Neighbourhoods– Individuals

From traditional institutional settings and sectors to those that transcend boundaries

Pushing power onwards and outwards to people

Localism

Increasing politicisation of communities Empower to shape the (local) world around

them Increasing creativity and innovation in public

servicers Obtaining assets and delivery services to

communities Opportunities and challenges in ‘hyper-local’

era in a wider context of austerity

Superdiversity “Diversification of diversity” (Vertovec 2007) Speed – 9% to 13% born overseas Scale – census – 3.5m rise in population 56%

are migrants Spread i.e. Boston highest increase in AoW

(11.4%) Complexity – gender, status, age, reason for

migration, class, faith....... Fragmentation – from many migrants from a few

countries to a few from many Super-mobility

Top ten countries for non-UK born residents in England and Wales, 2001 and 2011

Everyday cosmopolitanism (Wessendorf 2010)

Birmingham – archetypal SD city On course to become one of Britain’s first

majority-minority cities Move from homogenous groups to

superdiversity GP registration data shows 41,000 new arrivals

from overseas July 2007 – June 2010 187 different countries, 25% new/old

Commonwealth Poland, China, Romania, Afghanistan, Nigeria,

Somalia, Iran and Iraq now in top 20 92 countries of origin with 20 or less arrivals Spread around Birmingham

Local grassroots groups TSRC study using ‘street-level’ mapping

methodologies to identify ‘unregistered grassroots groups’ in Birmingham and Manchester

A lot of activity:– 58 groups in 11 streets– Old and new – Locally embedded, reflecting local communities– but not confined to area

Local grassroots groups TSRC study using ‘street-level’ mapping

methodologies to identify ‘unregistered grassroots groups’ in Birmingham and Manchester

A lot of activity:– 58 groups in 11 streets– Old and new – Locally embedded, reflecting local communities– but not confined to area

Local grassroots groups Wide variety, grouped in six: Many of these = mix: migrant, ethnic and refugee Self-support eg, Death Committee, Village saving

fund, friendship building, isolation Concentrated in shared spaces offered by VCSOs Drawing on ‘Community-building bricoleurs’ Dennis Minnis OBE, Piers Road Resource Centre Cross-fertilisation Drawing on and generating resources beyond

immediate communities

Superdiverse Local grassroots groups

Localism, traditionally understood at spatial local level

‘superdiverse’ grassroots connected– Virtual– Transnational

In addition, in their localities = not an island, they draw on and generate resources (VCSOs, Faith groups)

Superdiverse Local grassroots groups

They may be an untapped energy Creativity and innovation But not well understood, capacity and function Potentially fragile, vulnerable & new May not be in a position to take on services If so, who’s going to do this…. Role of VCS and shared space = Sum is greater

than all parts ?

IRiS UK’s first Institute devoted to researching SD Birmingham as inspiration and laboratory Critical mass of expertise Platform for collaboration and interdisciplinarity Build capacity of early career researchers as diversity experts Introduce new methodologies and approaches Focus on opportunities as well as challenges Partnership with communities, institutions, and agencies Inform policy and practice

IRiS structure – the workstreams

Language and superdiversity Policy, practice and foresight Health and well-being Religion and culture Theory and method Practitioner-researcher programme

Practitioner Researcher Programme Focus on Birmingham Aimed at communities and institutions with interest in

superdiversity Collaborative development of research and projects Training and mentoring New research community Support development of policy and practice in each

organisation Build a holistic and contemporary picture of Birmingham

Superdiversity and BTR Role of civil society in SD areas under-researched What does CS activity look like in SD areas? What is role of CSOs in SD areas? Does CS activity differ when population base is

new/ complex? How can activity be supported and networks

nurtured? Where does faith fit in to picture?