Publications and Convivence
This section brings together a bibliography intended to be as comprehensive as possible on the theme of Convivence.
Convivence is a recent subject of reflection. Its development in artistic, philosophical, scientific and technical literature is only just beginning to emerge. In Spanish, the word has been used for several centuries, but in French it has only been defined by the French Academy since 2004. In English, it is still not included in dictionaries, and purists translate it as social pluralism, though it is beginning to appear in some publications.
Convivence today goes beyond interreligious and intercultural dialogue. It is a cross-cutting theme linked to the social and cultural dimensions of climate change, the social responsibility of companies and organisations, territorial planning, inclusion, and solidarity among peoples and nations.
There are already fine texts here, such as those by Alem Surre Garcia, Jacques Couture and Ghislaine Alajouanine.
We will publish writings, articles, chronicles, books, speeches, and technical or scientific papers on convivence, following their acceptance by the Reading Committee of the Córdoba Forum, World Convivence Forum.
CONVIVENCE
Alem Surre Garcia
It was the Spanish historian Américo Castro who coined the concept of convivence in 1954 to describe the period of the Caliphate of Córdoba during which three different religious traditions (Islam, Judaism and Christianity), several peoples and several languages coexisted more or less harmoniously —for the first time in the West.
THE CÓRDOBA PARADIGM OR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Ramin Jahanbegloo
Events in the Middle East have triggered an at times unpleasant debate about Muslim societies and democracy. Some Western commentators argue that the two —Muslim society and democracy— are not compatible.
SOLIDARITY OF DIFFERENCES
Ramin Jahanbegloo
Albert Camus, French writer and philosopher, said in a famous talk to the Dominicans in Paris that “dialogue is only possible between people who remain what they are and who speak the truth. Dialogue is meaningless if there is no truth. The only basis on which I can build communion with believers of other confessions is the shared search for truth.”
A LONG-STANDING CONVIVENCE
Annual public meeting of the Five Academies
One Thursday last spring, the institution I have the pleasure of representing this autumn added a new word to its dictionary: “convivence”. Several organisations had been calling for it for years. A letter drafted by the association Pro Europae Unitate used this neologism for the first time.
NATIONAL YOUTH POLICIES
A working document representing the views of youth organisations engaged in “non-formal education”.
For an autonomous, supportive, responsible, and committed youth.
READINGS
Recommended books
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When Words Are Prevented
In Nos Paroles Empêchées (Éditions de l’Aube, 2026), Anne-Lyse Chabert explores an often invisible reality: that of those for whom speaking or being heard is not easy. Babies, young children, elderly people with neurological disorders, or people with disabilities… but also any of us, at certain moments in life. The ability to speak is never…
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Urban Microforests
Integrating green and social infrastructure: the microforest social hub in Rome, by Fabiola Fratini, published in Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability (Rome, 28 January 2026). This article examines the development of urban microforests in Rome as an innovative model of ecological urbanism, conceived as a living ecosystem in which environmental and social processes coevolve. Inspired…
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The tyranny of the screen nations / The five deadly sins of the platforms that rule the internet
In La tiranía de las naciones pantalla, Juan Carlos Blanco gives a name to a growing intuition: major digital platforms are no longer simple tools, but powerful “nations” capable of setting rules, capturing attention and reshaping public life. The book stands out for its journalistic clarity, linking programmatic advertising to the mass extraction of data…
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La convivance · Robert Lanquar
“Convivance” is a recent term in French, and a new one in English (“convivence”). Its roots come from the Spanish term “convivencia”, which emerged in the 12th century. In 2004, the Académie française included it in its Dictionary to designate a situation in which different communities and human groups live together, coexist, maintaining neighbourliness and…
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Convivence. Beyond cohabitation and conviviality · Robert Lanquar
Convivence is a relatively new term in English. It derives from the Spanish word convivencia, which emerged in the 12th century. In 2004, the Académie française included the related term “convivance” in its dictionary. The concept refers to a situation in which different communities and social groups live together while maintaining relationships of neighbourliness, harmony…
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L’autre · Tourism and Convivence
Le tourisme et la rencontre de l’autre. Voyage au pays des idées reçues(Tourism and the Encounter with the Other: Journey into the Land of Received Ideas) In 2005, shortly after the Académie française published its definition of Convivance, a group of French geographers —Giorgia Ceriani, Philippe Duhamel, Rémy Knafou and Mathis Stock— published in the…
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