Dilemmas of diversity (DIDI): diversity policies and practices in Dutch towns in the past, present, and future

This project, ‘Dilemmas of diversity (DIDI)’, looks at diversity policies and practices in the Netherlands in the past, present, and future. Our goal is to enhance our theoretical and empirical understanding of how practitioners deal with dilemmas of diversity in a variety of spaces of encounter. Diversity policies are aimed at reducing inequalities according to religion, gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, (dis)ability, health and age. However, practices dealing with such diversities raise dilemmas. The growth of societal complexity and the emergence of ‘superdiversity’ has increased practical dilemmas of doing diversity.
DIDI takes a longitudinal, interdisciplinary and intersectional approach to answer the questions: how, when, for whom, and why were diversity policies introduced, who played which role in how they were implemented, who organized to protest and claim rights, and which dilemmas occurred? DIDI examines specifically how policies work out in practice. This depends on the choices of practitioners as well as on the actions of groups of civilians, who are pressing for change and making suggestions. We will focus on a selected number of spaces of encounter (such as parks, swimming pools, libraries and care centers) in the Netherlands, and compare outcomes with results for Antwerp and Hamburg.
Reaching beyond current perspectives on diversities, DIDI will present a new perspective on how practitioners can overcome dilemmas of diversity. We are stepping away from more philosophical or normative approaches, to a more practical approach on how to do diversity. In co-creation with a very broad set of societal partners, DIDI will coproduce innovative approaches towards dealing with dilemmas and doing diversity by using Diversity Future Labs and Citizen Dialogue Tables. This will lead to a diversity toolkit, practical skills training and policy guidelines which enrich and reform diversity policies.