UNIC : Meeting other European Universities Alliances

On the occasion of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, all ten universities of Belgium were delighted to invite researchers and policy makers to reflect on the European Universities Alliances as drivers of change and innovation in higher education. The event took place in Brussels on April 29^th– 30^th 2024.

This high-level conference explored multilingualism, inclusion, student and staff mobility, pedagogical innovations and the European Degree label. The conference also focused on how the Alliances can contribute to an enhanced collaboration with our partner universities in the Global South.

The third session was hold by ULiège (UNIC) and UHasselt (EURECA-PRO), on the theme “Understanding and Applying Superdiversity in Academia, Higher Education and Beyond”. After Hassan Bousetta (ULiège) gave an introduction to the topic “Superdiversity”, our partner from Koç (Istanbul), Ahmet İçduygu, focused on what we did in UNIC in relation to this theme which is dear to us.

The thematic session at a glimpse

In the contemporary landscape of higher education, the concept of superdiversity has emerged as a transformative force, reshaping the traditional contours of academic environments. Superdiversity is a concept encompassing the complexity of diverse identities, experiences, and backgrounds within educational settings, challenges conventional notions of diversity. The objective of this roundtable is to provide the audience with an introduction to the concept of superdiversity, and then four experts will discuss its articulation within and beyond the context of academia and higher education. Superdiversity has become something of a buzzword, particularly in the social sciences. In academic terms, there is a literature approaching an agreement on its meaning/definition. When it comes to industry/the labour market, superdiversity is also a part of the conversation but in different terms and perhaps with different understandings. This roundtable focuses on this gap in understanding, discourse, and application of superdiversity.