This volume is a collection of papers based on the idea that the concept of
similarity could offer a new, alternative approach in culture studies, as
compared to the hitherto dominant paradigm of difference. The concepts of
identity and otherness are both becoming ever more questionable, not least due
to global political events of the last few decades. The assumption of distinct
cultural identities in the era of postmodern migratory flows seems increasingly
inadequate. Though the postcolonial critique of identity has emphasized alterity
and hybridity, this has remained within the paradigm of difference as an overall
perspective. For these reasons, it is important not only to