Societies, organizations and individuals are in the midst of growing diversity in terms of people, values and ideas. The paradoxical presence of increased mobility and connectedness (e.g., through new technologies, globalization) and extreme disconnectedness and individualism provides a new angle in investigating the layers of diversity. Culture, ethnicity and religion seem to have become sites of contestation, identity politics, and management.
Although societies have always been diverse, some scholars have argued that the diversity of the late modern era presents us with new challenges. Steven Vertovec (2007) uses the concept ‘super-diversity’ to describe this new condition. The rise of numbers of migrants, the diversity of the groups of migrants, and most importantly the differences within diverse groups introduces new complexities and challenges to the existing diversities in the world. Diversity and the differences between people and groups affect the effectiveness and quality of their interactions, and the resulting politics. These effects are visible on multiple levels: for individuals who are considered ‘different’, for interpersonal relationships, groups, communities, organizations, or societies. For example, growing populism and radicalization in Europe and beyond are only visible examples of the ways that diverse communities are reacting to these challenges. In this era we observe various forms of communities, from gated communities (which are homogenous and with an emphasis on excluding the other) and inclusive communities (which are heterogeneous and embrace multiplicity). This course will focus on the challenges of diverse and inclusive communities (on micro, meso and macro level) in the context of growing globalization and polarization.