"Coexist" display at a U2 concert, containing Islamic, Jewish, and Christian symbols

Coexistence is the property of things existing at the same time and in a proximity close enough to affect each other, without causing harm to one another. The term is often used with respect to people of different persuasions existing together, particularly where there is some history of antipathy or violence between those groups.

Coexistence can be observed to a property of all systems in which different aspects capable of interacting with each other exist at the same time. As one source asserts, "even at the molecular level, existence is always already coexistence".[1] Nonliving things can also be characterized as coexisting where multiple kinds of such things exist in the same space, with the term having been used for things as disparate as different kinds of dunes on Mars,[2] and black holes existing in the same region of space as dense nuclear star clusters.[3] Other examples of coexistence include:

  • Peaceful coexistence, Soviet theory regarding relations between the socialist and capitalist blocs, and more generally the coexistence of different states in the international system
  • Coexistence of similar species in similar environments; see coexistence theory
  • Coexistence of multiple national groups within a polity; see plurinationalism

Coexistence does not require a complete absence of conflict, but may include "the simultaneous presence of banal tensions and conflicts of interest".[4] Thus, a "minimal level of coexistence is compatible with competition and even conflicts, if conducted through legitimate channels".[5]

Cultural Coexistence Theory (CCT), also called Social-ecological Coexistence Theory, expands on coexistence theory to explain how groups of people with shared interests in natural resources (e.g., a fishery) can come to coexist sustainably.[6] Cultural Coexistence Theory draws on work by anthropologists such as Frederik Barth and John Bennett, both of whom studied the interactions among culture groups on shared landscapes. In addition to the core ecological concepts described above, which CCT summarizes as limited similarity, limited competition, and resilience, CCT argues the following features are essential for cultural coexistence:

  1. Adaptability describes the ability of people to respond to change or surprise. It is essential to CCT because it helps capture the importance of human agency.
  2. Pluralism describes where people value cultural diversity and recognize the fundamental rights of people not like them to live in the same places and access shared resources.
  3. Equity as used in CCT describes whether social institutions exist that ensure that people's basic human rights, including the ability to meet basic needs, are protected, and whether people are protected from being marginalized in society.

Cultural Coexistence Theory fits in under the broader area of sustainability science, common pool resources theory, and conflict theory.

References

  1. ↑ Sam Mickey, Whole Earth Thinking and Planetary Coexistence (Routledge, 2015), p. 103.
  2. ↑ S. Christian and G. Kocurek (2012). "Combining Mesoscale Wind Modeling with Dune Field Analysis to Constrain Modern Wind Regime, Hyperboreae Undae, Mars" (PDF). 43rd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Hyperboreae Undae (HU), one of several dune fields surrounding the north polar plateau of Mars, Planum Boreum, has well-known examples of coexisting barchanoid and lineartype dunes and yardang.
  3. ↑ Graham, A.W. and Spitler, L.R., Quantifying the coexistence of massive black holes and dense nuclear star clusters.
  4. ↑ Charles Husband, Yunis Alam, Jörg Hüttermann, and Joanna Fomina, Lived diversities: Space, place and identities in the multi-ethnic city (2016), p. 5.
  5. ↑ Mohammed Abu-Nimer, Reconciliation, Justice, and Coexistence: Theory and Practice (2001), p. 48.
  6. ↑ Loring, Philip A. (23 January 2016). "Toward a Theory of Coexistence in Shared Social-ecological Systems: The Case of Cook Inlet Salmon Fisheries". Human Ecology. 44 (2): 153–165. doi:10.1007/s10745-016-9806-0. PMC 4832003. PMID 27122652.
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