Culture wars or convivence: a societal choice
The term “culture wars” has become firmly established in contemporary political vocabulary. It refers not merely to disagreements over ways of life, but to genuine symbolic battles in which groups seek to impose their values on society as a whole. These conflicts thrive on abstract debates —religion, gender, identity, family— that polarise and fragment communities.
In 1991, sociologist James Davison Hunter described in Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America an America divided between orthodox and progressive camps. This thesis was challenged by Alan Wolfe, who showed that most Americans held more nuanced positions. Yet the metaphor of culture war has proved highly influential. Organisations such as the National Rifle Association have successfully turned social issues into existential struggles, fuelling a sense of threat and mobilising their supporters. In the digital age, these divisions are amplified by social media and disinformation campaigns, with tangible consequences for democracy and civic trust.
Yet another path exists. The concept of convivence, inspired by the convivencia of medieval Spain, proposes going beyond mere tolerance. As developed by Robert Lanquar, convivence is neither superficial harmony nor distant coexistence, but the active integration of difference at the heart of social life. Diversity is not seen as an obstacle, but as a resource.
Whereas culture wars rely on a logic of confrontation—my values against yours—convivence invites us to see pluralism as a shared project. It acknowledges inevitable disagreement but refuses to let it become destructive. Education, civic institutions, and interfaith or intercultural initiatives can be reoriented to create spaces where encounter prevails over conflict. Even in the digital sphere, platforms focused on dialogue rather than outrage are already pointing in this direction.
As journalist E. J. Dionne put it, the real divide is “between those who want a culture war and those who do not.” Convivence is neither a naïve ideal nor a form of nostalgia: it is a demanding and fragile process, yet essential for pluralistic democracies. Where culture wars divide and erode trust, convivence can provide a basis for peace and shared flourishing. This is the aim of the Paradigma Córdoba Foundation for Convivence and its World Convivence Forum.
