Navigating Gender-Based Violence in Superdiverse Societies: An Interdisciplinary Approach

The project provides a crucial opportunity to reframe and expand the discussion on gender and violence by using superdiversity as a theoretical and analytical lens bringing together postgraduate, early-career and senior researchers from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom.c. Since the concept of superdiversity emerged in 2007, scholars have explored the mechanisms through which inequalities are (re)produced, utilising superdiversity as a theoretical and analytical framework. While gender is considered an integral aspect of superdiversity, the academic incorporation of gender and violence discussions into the superdiversity discourse is more recent.

The project will create a space for academics in the fields of gender, violence and/or migration to convene, share insights and shed new light on gender and violence discussions. This research places particular emphasis on the experiences of Asian women in the United Kingdom and Australia, examining how their attributes, migration journeys and identities influence and shape experiences of violence and access to welfare and social services in superdiverse neighbourhoods. In parallel, it examines migrant women’s experiences in the Asia–Pacific region, particularly in Japan and South Korea – countries known for their ethno-nationalism and debates over whether to open borders and reform migration policies.

This collaboration responds to the pressing need for cross-national investigations of gender, violence and migration issues while highlighting transnational (im)mobilities and identities of migrant women. By including sociologists from Japan and South Korea and sharing expert knowledge and insights into the contexts of the four countries, the project aims to diversify the dominant /Western-centric sociological discussion and initiate an academic discussion to facilitate new theoretical, empirical, methodological and policy development.