The International Migration Day on 18 December invites renewed reflection on how global mobility continues to reshape contemporary societies. The concept of Superdiversity (Vertovec, 2007) has become a key analytical lens for understanding the complex and shifting configurations of cultural, linguistic, and identity-related diversity that emerge through migration. Rather than treating societies as composed of clearly bounded and easily recognisable communities, superdiversity draws attention to the heterogeneity within groups and the dynamic relations between them.
Parallel developments are taking place in the interdisciplinary field of intercultural communication, where essentialised notions of culture are increasingly questioned. If cultural groups are internally diverse and constantly changing, how can we meaningfully understand interactions between people with different migration histories, social positions, and cultural trajectories? And how do these interpersonal encounters contribute to, or challenge, broader public narratives about diversity?
In this lecture, organised on the occasion of International Migration Day, we explore how frameworks of intercultural communication can be aligned with the insights of superdiversity. How can we conceptualize notions such as culture, identity and power in order to zoom in on micro-level, everyday interaction? We explore how we can navigate difference in practice—beyond abstract cultural categories or static group boundaries.
This session invites scholars, students, and practitioners to consider how a superdiversity-informed perspective can enrich our understanding of interpersonal communication in an increasingly interconnected world.
Bio: Arjan Verdooren is lecturer and expert in Intercultural Communication. In his work, he aims to connect theory and practice within the field of intercultural communication He is a longtime associate of the Royal Tropical Institute, a knowledge center in Amsterdam, and has lectured in the Master of Communication at the University of Gothenburg and the HTW University in Berlin. He is the co-author (with Edwin Hoffman) of ‘Diversity Competence- Cultures Don’t Meet People Do’, that describes a more dynamic and multi-faceted approach within the intercultural field. Arjan divides his time between Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Gothenburg (Sweden).
About the International Migration Day
On 18 December 1990, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Each year on 18 December, the United Nations, uses International Migrants Day to highlight the contributions made by the roughly 272 million migrants, including more than 41 million internally displaced persons, and the challenges they face.
