Commentary: 'culture' and superdiversity

摘要

'Difference in diversity' (Guilherme & Dietz, this issue) presents us with an engaging reflection on the contemporary state of 'culture' and its discourses; it offers stimulating ways out - the recognition of difference within diversity itself is a case in point - while also illustrating some of the perennial problems of such reflections. The key problem is the presumed stability of the notion of 'culture' itself, its reification both as a discursive identifier (a widely used word, simply put) and as an empirical analytical category enabling subcategories such as those prefixed with 'multi,' 'inter,' or 'trans.' In my commentary, I will focus on this problem and review some aspects of it.