ABSTRACT
Numerous scholars have employed the concept of superdiversity to address various new forms of social complexity. This chapter develops the idea of social complexity not only by drawing from central themes in complexity science but also by pulling together a number of strands often considered by disparate disciplines and fields. It commences with a look at anthropological notions of “complex society” in terms of changing patterns of social organization. To this are added important insights on “cultural complexity,” especially concerning social positions, conceptual meanings, and their mingling. From this, notions of “social difference” are examined, including their changing salience and the malleability of key social categories (particularly race, gender and sexuality, religion, and language). Their changeable meanings add considerably to social complexity, which is further expanded in the expression and negotiation of identities and relationships across online and offline practices. Finally, with rather profound implications for individuals, networks, attitudes, and broader social relations, the field of social identity complexity is discussed. Pulling these topics together, we can see how social complexity runs across scales from complexly organized societies to complexly organized sets of meaning to complexly organized selves.
