Migrants and New Media: Digital Ethnography, Transnationalism, and Superdiversity

This chapter brings superdiversity into conversation with digital ethnography and
transnationalism. It argues that there is a need to include digitalized lifeworlds and, especially, practices related to new information and communication technologies in ethnographies of superdiversity in order to do justice to the social relations and the complexities involved. First, the chapter provides a broad overview of the historical importance of information and communication technologies for migrants and the study of migrants’ lives and of the evolving research field of digital migration studies. It will then bring digital migration
studies into conversation with the superdiversity debates, particularly through a
(shared) focus on transnationalism. From a methodological perspective, it suggests a digital ethnographic approach for further interweaving these still widely separate research fields. Ultimately, the chapter outlines how a digital ethnography approach can advance conceptual and theory-driven discussions about superdiversity. The chapter ends with an outlook and by raising key questions to be tackled.