super-diversity by steven vertovec
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and Its implications
SUPER-DIVERSITY
Analiza Perez-AmuraoPhD in Multicultural
Studies
Super-diversity and its Implications Introduction Diversity in Britain New Immigrants & the emergence
of super-diversity Super-diversity: Social scientific
challenges Super-diversity: Policy challenges Conclusion
Introduction
“world in one city” idea
“In 2012, our multicultural diversity will mean every competing nation in the Games will find local supporters as enthusiastic back home” (www.london2012.org/en/city/onecity).
transformative ‘diversification of diversity’
More ethnicities & countries of origin
Multiplication of significant variables
Introduction
Variables Resulting in DiversityEthnicity
Differential immigration statusesEntitlements & restrictions of rightsDivergent labor market experiencesDiscrete gender & age profilesPatterns of spatial distribution
Mixed local responses by service providers & residents
Introduction
SUPER-DIVERSITY Introduction
Super-diversity
Differential immigration
statusesEntitlements & restrictions of
rights
Ethnicity
Divergent labor market
experiences
Discrete gender & age
profiles
Patterns of spatial
distribution
Mixed local responses by
service providers & residents
“…the article serves as a call, or at least a reminder, to social scientists and policy-makers to make more sufficient account of the conjunction of ethnicity with a range of other variables when considering the nature of various ‘communities,’ their composition, trajectories, interactions and public service needs.” ---Steven Vertovec
Introduction
“[T]heories developed in the past may
have only limited application in the study of multi-group relations
today.”
--Eric Fong and Kumiko Shibuya, 2005, 613
Introduction
“[T]he city was populated by Cymric Brythons and Belgae, by remnants of the
Gaulish legions, by East Saxons and Mercians, by Danes, Norwegians and
Swedes, by Franks and Jutes and Angles,
mingling togetherto form
a distinct tribe of
‘Londoners’”
(Ackroyd, 2000, p. 702).
all mingled and
Diversity in Britain
Late 12th century:
Locals throughout Britain complained that all sorts of foreigners were practicing their own customs.
Early 16th century:
Such intolerance, starting from the 12th century, piled up & led to riots.
Mid-18th century:
Fight between those with “culturally cosmopolitan” outlooks & populist xenophobic attitudes broke out.
19th century:
Poets/ Writers said London was “one of the most composite populations to be found in the world (Holmes,
1997, p. 10).
19th- 20th centuries: Significant immigration came from the Irish and the Jews.
Diversity in Britain
Post-war: Large-scale immigration of African-Caribbean &
South Asian peoples prompted a set of changes in public
policy.
Diversity in Britain
Post-war: Large-scale immigration of African-Caribbean &
South Asian peoples prompted a set of changes in public
policy.
Diversity in Britain
diversity management strategy
1950s – 1970s: Period when the experience of people from Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana & other West Indies places, together with India, Pakistan & Bangladesh was used in most discourses, policies, & understanding of migration &
multiculturalism.
Diversity in Britain
1960s – 1970s: Period when rights of entry were gradually restricted until only families of
settled migrants could enter.
Large & organized communities were formed.
* community associations
* places of worship
Overall goal was promotion of tolerance & respect for collective identities.
* supporting associations & activities
* monitoring diversity in the workplace
* encouraging positive images in the media & public spaces
* modifying public services (health, education, policing, & courts)
Diversity in Britain
MULTICULTURALISM-was conceived mainly in terms of the African-Caribbean & South Asian
communities of British
citizens.
-hardly gave attention & space to new, smaller, less organized, legally differentiated & non-citizen
immigrant groups.
- The growth of these groups radically transformed
Britain’s social landscape.
Diversity in Britain
Vertovec’s call to action: “…to re-evaluate – in social scientific
study as well as policy- the nature of diversity in
Britain today” (p.16).
Diversity in Britain
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
Early 1990s:Marked rise in net immigration & a diversification of countries of origin which coincided with 6 parliamentary measures.
The Asylum & Immigration Acts of 1993, 1996, & 1999The Nationality, Immigration & Asylum Act 2002The Asylum & Immigration Act 2004The Immigration, Asylum & Nationality Bill 2005
‘the new migration’
‘the new immigrants’
multiple dimensions of differentiation
Net inflows
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
Since1994:UK net inflows of people
-Britain’s high economic performance
-Growing inequalities in many developing & middle income countries
Languages
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“Still, it is now often proclaimed with pride that 300 languages are spoken in London” (p.1032). Vertovec says…
Religions
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“…among immigrants to Britain, Christianity is the main religion for people born in all continents except Asia….”“…Asia-born…are more likely to be Muslim…”
“For many, religions tend to be broadly equated with countries of origin….”
Vertovec says…
Migration channels & immigration statuses
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
WorkersStudentsSpouses & family membersAsylum-seekers & refugeesIrregular, illegal or undocumented migrants
New citizens
Gender
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“Indeed many basic features of super-diversity- especially the inter-related patterns surrounding immigrants’ country of origin, channels of migration, legal status
and rights- tend to have highly gendered patterns” (cf. Kofman et al. 2005).
Age
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“Variance in age structure among various ethnic groups reflects different patterns of fertility and mortality as well as migration” (GLA, 2005a, p. 6).
Age profiles a decade ago
New immigrant population
Space/ place
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“New immigrants often settle in areas with established immigrant communities from the same country of birth” (Vertovec, 2007, p. 1041).
Space/ place
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
But reports like “London: the world in one city," or “The world in one country” came out misleading, with the Guardian making “a mistake in suggesting certain groups are fixed to certain places.”“…increased diversification…is not a matter of increased numbers but relative change in a given locality.”
“One major avenue by which newcomers have come to places of previously low immigrant density has been through government dispersal …to relieve pressure on councils…[dispersing] people seeking asylum.”
Space/ place
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“New immigrants with less established networks and patterns of settlement are currently being drawn to locations with a wider range of employment opportunities….”
Transnationalism
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
“…the extent and degree of transnational engagement has intensified due in large part to
changing technologies and
reduced telecommunication
and travel costs” (p.1043).
Transnationalism
New immigrants & the emergence of super-diversity
FACTORS INFLUENCING TRANSNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Migration channel & legal statusMigration & settlement historyCommunity structureGendered patterns of contactPolitical circumstances in the homelandEconomic means
Super-diversity: Social Scientific challenges
PROBLEM: The manner of studying immigrants is still based on the Chicago school of urban studies done in the early & mid-part of the last century looking comparatively at processes of assimilation which masked clear comparison of groups overlooking significant trends.The sheer diversity of old-timers & new immigrants
The existence of social dynamics differentiated by variable conglomerations of race, immigration status, gender, economic activity and neighborhood.The existence of other variables such as age, income and occupational types.
The development of other techniques for research.
Super-diversity: Social Scientific challengesThe sheer diversity of old-timers & new immigrants
The existence of social dynamics differentiated by variable conglomerations of race, immigration status, gender, economic activity and neighborhood.The existence of other variables such as age, income and occupational types.The development of other techniques for research.
New patterns of inequality & prejudiceNew patterns of segregationNew experiences of space & ‘contact’New forms of cosmopolitanism & creolisationNew ‘bridgeheads’ of migrationsSecondary migration patternsTransnationalism & integrationMethodological innovation
Research policy nexus
Super-diversity: Policy challenges
SUPER-DIVERSITY impacts on the
current development of public policies & practices.
Community organizations
Public service delivery
Conclusion
SUPER-DIVERSITY arises from the complex interplays of the various factors mentioned.
Changes “require social scientists to go beyond existing theoretical frameworks & methodology to explore the complexity of the multiethnic group context” (Fong & Shibuya, 2005, p. 299). “Discovering and acknowledging the nature and extent of diversity is a crucial step in the development of adequate policies…” (Vertovec, 2007, p. 1050)
“…policy responses to
diversification rest on political will and vision” (Vertovec, 2007, p. 1050).
Vertovec, S. (2007). Super-diversity and its implications, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30: 6, 1024-1054.
Reference