This volume extends existing research in diversity studies through a two-pronged approach. It addresses both transformations in how diversity has been conceptualised since early modern times and the ways in which diversity has taken concrete form. The disciplinary perspectives the volume brings together encompass sociology, philosophy, educational studies, linguistics, art history, as well as literary and media studies.

The first section focuses on rethinking theoretical approaches to diversity. The second section examines representations of dis/ability in art and literature from the early modern period to the nineteenth century. The third part introduces the innovative concept of “fragile participation” as a framework for reflecting on diversity in contemporary contexts. The final section investigates how the history of luxury from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries reflects changing forms, concepts, and ideologies of diversity.

With its innovative theoretical and empirical approaches to diversity, distinctive combination of (inter)disciplinary perspectives, and original case studies, the volume makes a substantial contribution to the burgeoning field of diversity studies.