The aim of this chapter is to trace the conceptual history of diversity in Swedish cultural policy. Earlier research on diversity in cultural policy has mainly been devoted to ethnic understandings of the concept from 1995 and onwards. A longer perspective makes it possible to follow a cultural policy in transition. Cultural policy is conceptualised as a practice that reinforces certain values in a nation. The material consists of cultural policy documents published during the time period. Three overlapping understandings are found: diversity as variation (from 1972), ethnic diversity (from 1995) and an umbrella-concept (from 2007) including different social categories. The results reveal that the understanding of the concept has changed from being anti-commercialism to including private actors and 240 freedom of choice to achieve diversity. Another change has been a shift in focus from groups to individuals. Diversity may be seen as an outside goal, and a result of immigration policy and discrimination laws and not coming from inside the cultural field. However, it is mostly perceived as a positive concept, used to legitimate a cultural policy in liberal, heterogenic societies since the market cannot guarantee diversity by itself. A risk is that the concept will become too vague when it is used for many different aspects of cultural policy.