Commonplace diversity: social relations in a super-diverse context

Abstract

Urban areas in the UK and beyond have seen significant changes in patterns of immigration, leading to profound diversification. This diversification is characterized by not only the multiplication of people of different national origins, but also differentiations regarding migration histories, religions, educational backgrounds, legal statuses and socio-economic backgrounds. How has this diversification of diversity, also described as 'super-diversity', impacted on social life on the local level? How do people get along in a context where almost everybody comes from elsewhere? This book presents an in-depth study of super-diversity on the local level. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in the London Borough of Hackney, Wessendorf shows that diversity in this context has become commonplace. Rather than experiencing it as something particularly unusual, local residents see diversity as a normal part of everyday life. This book presents a vivid account of the daily doings and social relations among Hackney's residents and how they pragmatically negotiate difference in their everyday lives. 1. Introduction: Studying Commonplace Diversity -- 2. From Multiculturalism to Diversity: Mapping the Field -- 3. The Emergence of Commonplace Diversity -- 4. Everyday Encounters in Public Space -- 5. Regular Encounters in the Parochial Realm -- 6. The Ethos of Mixing -- 7. Social Milieus and Friendships -- 8. Commonplace Diversity, Social Divisions and Inequality: Riots in Hackney -- 9. Conclusion.