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Superdiversity and the City

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Social Work and the City

Abstract

The impact and scale of migrations and mobilities are possibly the most significant issue in the contemporary transformation of cities. Cities are the sites of negotiations of differences. Cities are plural spaces, characterised by a superdiversity that demands the particular attention of social work in terms of solidarities, cohesion and appropriate cross-cultural responses. Many cities are more ethnically diverse than ever before, with several cities having majority ethnically diverse populations. Minority ethnic groups are over-represented in the most deprived neighbourhoods in cities, they are significantly disenfranchised and highly internally differentiated. Often, these neighbourhoods are framed as deprived neighbourhoods and ghettoes, with a strong focus on segregation and (lack of) integration. At the same time, these cities are successful, and become progressively more so as a result of diversity. Urban social work has a strong body of knowledge in cross-cultural and inter-cultural practice. In this chapter, we analyse the context of superdiversity as the urban condition of the twenty-first century, and the challenges for and responses from social work.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Antwerp, Odisee University College and Karel de Grote University College, Antwerp & Brussels, Belgium

    Dirk Geldof

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  1. Dirk Geldof
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Global, Urban and Social Studi, RMIT University School of Global, Urban and Social Studi, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Charlotte Williams

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Geldof, D. (2016). Superdiversity and the City. In: Williams, C. (eds) Social Work and the City. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51623-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-51623-7_5

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-51622-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-51623-7

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