Convivence

Book excerpt: Convivence is a new word in English. Its root comes from the Spanish word “Convivencia”, emerging in the 12th century. During the year 2004, the French Academy included it in its Dictionary (“convivance”). It means a situation where different communities and human groups live together, maintaining neighborliness, harmony, and exchanging relations. The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution 72/130, declared 16 May of each year, the International Day of Living Together in Peace, (or ‘Convivence’) “as a means of regularly mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity”. This book explores the main issues and needs around convivence at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Our fragmented world is facing vast crises: climate change, migrations, growing inequalities, geopolitical clashes, a rise of nationalism, identity conflicts, and racism. The objective is to show that the pursuit of Convivence can be a driving ethical issue of tomorrow. Projected situations will be described in a series of scenarios, explaining what paths should be taken to make this aspiration for peace possible, for solidarity beyond coexistence and conviviality. This thought-provoking book will be of interest to researchers and students in Peace Studies, Sociology and International Relations, as well as those working in community issues in governments, NGOs and the private sector.