The term « diversity » is gaining in popularity as it highlights efficiently the mythical norm of the universal social subject. Its various usages indicate that the meanings of diversity and heterogeneity are intermingled, leading to a semantic confusion between both terms. The authors compare the heuristic value of the terms to think out emancipation. They expose a series of analytical considerations emphasizing the necessary differentiation between the normative nature of the political usages of diversity and the social fact of heterogeneity. They further dwell upon the complexity of conceptualizing resistance showing the inescapable, yet seldom considered, ternary nature of any power relation.