Buen Vivir

Buen Vivir – the Good Life, Sumak Kawsay (Kichwa) or Suma Qamaña (Aymara), as it is called in various languages, is an alternative development model from Latin America. It emerged in the wake of the post-growth debate and draws on indigenous practices and knowledge (see Acosta 2015, 14).

Rethinking

Buen Vivir calls for a rethinking of the current development paradigm in terms of how development is understood and what it means. In this concept, development is not understood as economic growth, as is the case in the capitalist economic model, but as a path towards collective satisfaction within society (cf. Acosta/ Abarca 2018, 132). Buen Vivir is thus not measured by the good life of an individual. Rather, it is „the good living together of people in a community, of different communities …“ (Acosta 2016, 1) is the focus. It also highlights different ways of living sustainably.

Harmony

It intends a harmonic relationship between society as well as nature and criticizes the exploitation of natural resources. Pachamama – Mother Earth – which means the origin of life, has a special place in this concept. This concept establishes a new understanding of the importance of nature in politics and is thus also of great relevance in the climate debate. Furthermore, Buen Vivir aims at a new hegemony based on different cultures. The recognition of the plurality of indigenous groups is a fundamental part of the concept (cf. Fatheuer 2011, 21).

Constitution

The concept of the Good Life was included in the constitution of both Ecuador (2008) and Bolivia (2009) (cf. Acosta/ Abarca 2018, 132). Both states are shaped by their colonial past, which is reflected in both social and economic structures (cf. Fatheuer 2011, 14). With the state goal of achieving Sumak Kawsay-the Good Life-they have noticeably distanced themselves from the capitalist economic model and instead appealed for a social economy with values such as fairness, equality, and sustainability (cf. Friant/ Langemore 2015, 65).

Literature

Acosta, Alberto (2015): Buen Vivir. Vom Recht auf ein gutes Leben. Munich: oekom.

Acosta, Alberto (2016). Buen Vivir. Rethinking the world from a Buen Vivir perspective. https://rosalux.org.br/de/die-welt-aus-der-perspektive-des-buen-vivir-uberdenken/ [01.04.2020].

Acosta, Alberto/ Abarca, Mateo Martínez (2018): Buen Vivir: An alternative perspective from the peoples of theglobal south to the crisis of capitalist modernity. In: Vishwas, S. (ed.): The Climate Crisis. South African and Global Democratic Eco-Socialist Alternatives: Johannesburg: Wits University Press, 131-146.

Fatheuer, Thomas (2011): Buen Vivir. A brief introduction to Latin America’s new concepts of the good life and the rights of nature. In: Heinrich Böll Foundation (ed.): Schriften zur Ökologie (vol. 17): Berlin: Heinrich Böll Foundation, 7-30.

Friant, M. Martin Calisto/ Langmore, John (2015): The Buen Vivir: A Policy to Survive the Anthropocene? In: Global Policy 6(1), 64-71.