Between superdiversity and nationalism the culturisation of everyday life in Amsterdam

In this chapter, we discuss the complex relationship between superdiversity – which seems to hold the promise of a normalisation of diversity – and the re-emergence of nativist and culturalist perspectives that impose meaning in everyday, local settings. In response to the condition of superdiversity, a culturalist common sense has come into place which represents autochthonous “Dutch culture” as a threatened entity that must be protected against minoritised and racialised outsiders. By using ethnographic data from in-depth field research in Amsterdam, we argue that culturalism rather than superdiverse values and policies have become commonplace.