Córdoba was the epicentre of knowledge in Europe, the irresistible hub around which everything revolved. Granada was the fairy tale city in the mountains, the Muslims’ final stronghold in Spain, where beauty and glory reflected the mountainsides of the Sierra Nevada.
Here they achieved the master feat we continue to struggle with today. Jews, Christians and Muslims lived side by side. They respected one another’s religions and way of life. But they did not just construct a peaceful co-existence; they built Europe’s greatest centre of excellence. Here innovation flourished within mathematics, astronomy, architecture, philosophy, medicine and literature. Through Muslim Spain new and forgotten knowledge was channelled to the rest of Europe and laid the foundation for modern Europe. The cities teemed with multicultural diversity and this was not a problem; it was an advantage. Even outsiders from Christian Western Europe were astounded by the city’s legendary achievements. For almost 800 years, this co-existence made its mark on Spain – until it was replaced by one of the most xenophobic regimes Europe had ever known.
If history is a textbook, few places are as relevant today as Córdoba and Granada. The seminar visits both cities. We apply modern-day theories and research to understand what happened and then transfer this learning to our own time and the organizational life of the participants. The themes include:
Betydningen av mestring, menneskelige ytelser og begrensninger kan vanskelig overdrives i en kompetansebedrift. I Forsvarsdepartementet har vi i så måte og gjennom flere år hatt stor nytte og glede av John Steinegers kompetanse som rådgiver og inspirerende foredragsholder.
Fridthjof Søgaard, direktør for strategisk utvikling, Forsvarsdepartementet
