Infrastructures of superdiversity: Conviviality and language in an Antwerp neighborhood

Based on fieldwork in the superdiverse neighborhood of Oud-Berchem (Antwerp, Belgium), this paper shows how vernacular varieties Dutch have become the lingua franca of the neighborhood, and are used in most cross-group interactions. This use of language contributes heavily to a high level of low-intensity empathy in the neighborhood - conviviality - and must be seen as an infrastructure which, in superdiverse contexts, enables a degree of social cohesion.