Intercultural Communication and Superdiversity

This assignment analyzes the article 'Citizenship, Language and Superdiversity: Towards Complexity' by Jan Blommaert. It examines how globalization, immigration, and technological advancements influence intercultural communication within increasingly diverse societies. The paper delves into concepts like citizenship, dis-citizenship, superdiversity, and the role of language in shaping social interactions. It also highlights the challenges and opportunities presented by these complex dynamics, emphasizing the need for understanding and navigating polycentric environments.

Running head: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Intercultural Communication
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
Introduction
The following paper discusses about the fact of the intercultural communication in the
entire world. This has become one of the most common traits in the modern day world. The
different cultures are coming closer to each other because of the needs for their professions. They
are coming closer and the barriers are getting slashed by the integration of the immigrants and
the emigrants. The author of the article has blended the ideas of the intercultural communication
very well. He has focused on the various factors like the citizenship, dis-citizenship, sociological
mixing between the two kinds of cultures and the process of ‘registering’ and ‘enregistering’.
The main issues in the article
The provide article for this paper named as ‘Citizenship, Language and Superdiversity:
Towards Complexity’ written by Jan Blommaert has brought out the different aspects on the said
topics. Language is the one barrier that had been separated the different sections of mankind
residing in different zones of the world1. However, this is the very reason that language has
become the one common medium to communicate with the different language speaking people.
It has also helped to mitigate the diversity that had existed in the world till date. The
sociolinguistic transformations in the different sections of the society have unified the different
layers of social status. He has also argued the Internet has become one of the mediums that have
helped to bring the different language speaking people closer to one another. The virtual world
created by the internet has developed the communication technology all over the world 2
1 Agha, A., 2007. Language and social relations (No. 24). Cambridge University Press.
2 Blommaert, Jan. The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge University Press, 2010.

2INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
The social life has been redesigned by the introduction of the internet and the various
other communication technologies 3 The complexity in these fields has been increasing
altogether because the people have become quite complex in their mindset and critical thinking
abilities. According to the author, the ‘vertical’ patterns of the stratification and rest
restratification have been the components of the historic and dynamic processes in the world 4
Summarization of the main key points
The main and key points that have been focused in this article are the citizenship and dis-
citizenship, the processes and norms in the social change, the emergence of the technological
advancement through internet, the transformation of the mindset of the school children, the
institutionalized sociolinguistic face of the citizenship has been evolving in the past few years in
a large way 5 The concept of citizenship in the traditional manner has been outsmarted by the
new notions as the national boundaries can no longer constrain the people of the different
countries.
The factor of immigration has a lot to do in this case because the need for the
development of the social environments which are full of superdiversity is of immense. The
3 Blommaert, Jan, and Ad Backus. "Superdiverse repertoires and the individual." Tilburg Papers in Culture
Studies 24 (2012).
4 Blommaert, J. M. E., and P. K. Varis. "How to'how to'?: The prescriptive micropolitics of hijabista." (2012).
5 Møller, Janus Spindler, and Jens Normann Jørgensen. "Enregisterment among adolescents in superdiverse
Copenhagen." Tilburg papers in culture studies 28 (2012): 1-15.

3INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
people who come to other countries permanently need to develop their skills in a large way
because they need to adjust themselves to that modern society and cultural environment. The
immigrant has to face a very critical life in the country that they immigrate in. This eventually
turns out to be a challenge for them. They have to adjust to the new language and education
modes, gender, labor and almost in any kind of things.
The polycentric nature of the citizens is something to be focused on. The people who live
in this polycentric environment have to co-exist with the people currently living in these
situations. The immigrating people have to integrate within the polycentric environment as they
have no other choice. The sociolinguistic factors will be of immense importance since the
immigrants are settling in from different regions of the world. The reason for such a polycentric
environment in the society has been created of superdiversity.
Examples to support the points of the author
The author has put up some clear examples how these sociolinguistic influence,
superdiversity factors and other mentioned things have taken place. He has given the example
that the condition of the young Muslim women in the West has been one of the polycentric social
environments 6 The people who already live in those polycentric environments think that the
immigrants will very easily integrate into every niche of the society. This is very tough indeed
6
Rampton, Ben. Language in late modernity: Interaction in an urban school. Vol. 22. Cambridge University Press,
2006.

4INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
since they cannot adjust to those situations in a very short notice. The author cited the example of
the ‘hijab’ that is an inseparable part of the Muslim culture 7 The people of the host society think
that the immigrated people will very easily integrate with the dominant values of their society as
well as with the religious values of the diaspora 8
Understanding of the issues
The matters and issues that the author has incorporated within the article discuss about
the many things like that of the citizenship and dis-citizenship. It is very easily comprehensible
that the political dynamics of the host countries and their cultures have a huge impact on the
sociolinguistic factors of the host countries. The experts, legislators and decision makers of those
polycentric environments have to adjust to the different aspects of the complexity in the social
and cultural environments 9 It is a very complex thing to integrate the immigrant people within
that category of the polycentric environment. The factor of imagination is one of the most
important things in this facet because imagination of the people of the host countries and their
point of view towards the immigrant decide upon the facor how they might be treated. These
things create huge impacts because the linguistic resources make the integration into the host
7 Vertovec, Steven. "Towards post‐multiculturalism? Changing communities, conditions and contexts of
diversity." International social science journal61.199 (2010): 83-95.
8 Vertovec, Steven. "Super-diversity and its implications." Ethnic and racial studies 30.6 (2007): 1024-1054.
9 Spotti, Massimiliano. "Ideologies of Success for Superdiverse Citizens: the Dutch Testing Regime for Integration
and the Online Private Sector." Diversities 13.2 (2011).

5INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
countries makes it easier for the immigrants to settle in and spread the communicative
competencies through strong mediums through internet.
Conclusion
In conclusion to this paper, it can be said that the factors of language, communication
technology and other important things have a huge impact on the understanding of the
superdiverse environment. The immigrant people have to make a lot of adjustments to make in
the country they are settling in. it is the duty of the host people to make such important
adjustments through proper communication and adjust with the polycentric environments.

6INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
References
Agha, Asif. Language and social relations. No. 24. Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Blommaert, J. M. E., and P. K. Varis. "How to'how to'?: The prescriptive micropolitics of
hijabista." (2012).
Blommaert, Jan, and Ad Backus. "Superdiverse repertoires and the individual." Tilburg Papers
in Culture Studies 24 (2012).
Blommaert, Jan. The sociolinguistics of globalization. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
Møller, Janus Spindler, and Jens Normann Jørgensen. "Enregisterment among adolescents in
superdiverse Copenhagen." Tilburg papers in culture studies 28 (2012): 1-15.
Rampton, Ben. Language in late modernity: Interaction in an urban school. Vol. 22. Cambridge
University Press, 2006.
Spotti, Massimiliano. "Ideologies of Success for Superdiverse Citizens: the Dutch Testing
Regime for Integration and the Online Private Sector." Diversities 13.2 (2011).
Vertovec, Steven. "Super-diversity and its implications." Ethnic and racial studies 30.6 (2007):
1024-1054.
Vertovec, Steven. "Towards post‐multiculturalism? Changing communities, conditions and
contexts of diversity." International social science journal61.199 (2010): 83-95.