Introduction

This introduction provides an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book begins with a 'Methodological interlude' in which the telling of academic stories about genealogy is explained as central in creating legitimate belonging, or reversely denying belonging. It traces story-lines in German Diversity Studies texts, which negotiate proximity and distance with concepts of gender and intersectionality in feminism and Gender Studies. The book argues that the noun 'appropriation' here tells a mini-story about decaying concepts that lose their original meaning, enacting a linear, causal chronology quite similar to the one highlighted in the narratives of overcoming in diversity-leaning texts. It summarises 'Commonalities', where it is argued that the story-telling practices are supported by and install a linear, progressive notion of time that hinders a scrutiny of the relationship between the concepts of gender and diversity beyond assuming progressive overcoming and replacement, or illegitimate appropriation and decay.