This is a bilingual (currently English and French) and interactive digital lexicon of shared concepts that are foundational to the partnership Staging Better Futures/Mettre en scène de meilleurs avenirs (SBF/MSMA).
The bilingualism of this lexicon (which presents individual languages separately) recognizes the incommensurability of certain concepts across languages and surfaces the distinctions among and alignment of particular conceptual terms or expressions. This means that the French definition of a term or expression might not coincide with the English definition, that one might be longer than the other, that each might include different references.
This lexicon is interactive because some elements are currently being co-constructed, others are under peer review. Our methodology is based on co-creation and dialogue. The first step is for at least two people to select a term or expression that needs explanation and to decide what language they will start drafting in concurrently. Entries typically consist of a short summary of the term or expression, an intellectual history of its use, some examples of its mobilization within SBF/MSMA, links to key references, and a list of contributing authors and peer reviewers.
Once a first draft is completed (most often in a live collaborative writing session), it is posted on CWRC as a living document and will be reviewed by specialists whose contribution will be recognized at the end of the entry. We also invite your comments and contributions to this lexicon, especially if you are an expert in the field described in the entry!