Saggioro/Religious Super-diversity, 1.Religious Diversity, Plurality and Pluralism: Towards an Analytical Grid

This chapter proposes an analytical grid of the concept of “diversity” in religious dynamics. After exploring the use of the concept of “super-diversity” in the religious field, we discuss the term “new religious pluralism” and we propose a new typology based on three key words: diversity, plurality, and pluralism. To capture the dynamics employed in the contemporary religious field, we mobilize the prefix “hyper” to stress the complex and multi-layered religious diversity. From a historical, anthropological, and sociological perspective, this tripartite typology sheds light on the different levels and scales of diversity, focusing on individual and collective, inter- and intra-religious relationships.