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Good Life between Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay

Indicators of a political concept in Ecuador

Philipp Altmann

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Sumak Kawsay or Buen Vivir? 2008: Constitution, Preamble:

“We decided to build a new form of citizens living together,

in diversity and harmony with nature, in order to reach the

buen vivir, the sumak kawsay“

2010: Declaration at the foot of taita Imbabura:

“We manifest that the government of Rafael Correa is a

false socialist traitor, populist, genocidal, fascist to the

principles of sumak kawsay, furthermore, it covers up the

colonialism of the XXI century.“ (CONAIE 2010: 2)

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History of the Good Life - I

2000: Suma Qamaña is established in Bolivia 2002: Carlos Viteri publishes `Indigenous vision

of development in the Amazon´

→ `alli káusai´ or `súmac káusai´ / Buen Vivir, reception by Alberto Acosta

2003: Manifiesto `Sarayaku Sumak Kawsayta Ñawpakma Katina Killka´ / `The Book of Life of Sarayaku to defend our future´

→ “Sumak Kawsay, life in plenty.“ (Sarayaku 2003: 10); “life in harmony“ (Sarayaku 2003: 26)

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History of the Good Life - II

2004: Universidad Intercultural Amawtay Wasi → “to walk to wisdom, [...] to get closer

to an understanding of the `bien vivir´ [Good Life].“ (UIAW 2004: 172-173)

2006: Governmental Plan of Movimiento PAIS

→ “Good Life in harmony with nature, under an irrestrict respect of the human rights.“ (Alianza PAIS 2006: 3)

2007/2008: Constituent Assembly

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Sumak Kawsay in the discourse of the indigenous movement

“Integral Humanism where man and nature in close and harmonic interrelation garanty life.” (CONAIE 1994: 11)

“the principle of Integral Philosophy, in interrelation and reciprocity, between the Cosmos, Man-Nature-Society“ (CONAIE 2001: 3)

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Sumak Kawsay and Economy - I

Economy at the service of well-being

→ “The objective and the principles of economy should not be rentability, but human well-being, the `vivir bien´, the `sumak kawsay´. Economy is just an instrument at the service of the community.” (CONAIE 2007: 7)

Time of regeneration

→ “give a time of regeneration to nature, in order to be able to renew our own life. [...] Mushuk Allpa, the earth in constant renovation, has been a fundamental premise of Sumak Kawsay.“ (Sarayaku 2003: 3)

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Sumak Kawsay and Economy - II

Reciprocity as economic principle

→ “Economy should be based […] in the principle of reciprocity developed by the community in practices like the minga, the randy randy, the cambia mano or maki mañachi. Principles that radically put into question economic accumulation as the goal of economy.” (CONAIE 2007: 21)

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Sumak Kawsay and local knowledge

Revaluation and re-appropiation of traditonal knowledge / Locality

→ „This living together and this harmony tought us to understand the multiple dimensions that constitute the Sumak Allpa. The muskuy (knowledge and understanding) allowed us to adapt appropiatly to the conditions of life in the jungle and to define our century-long presence in these territories, with our forefathers, the Tayak Runa.“ (Sarayaku 2003: 3-4)

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Sumak Kawsay as decolonial proposal

Forms part of a discourse around the concepts of interculturality and plurinationality

→ territorial autonomy, self-determination

→ democratization and participation

→ proposal of a social and political reconstitution

Harmony between individual, society and nature instead of competition between individuals, “there is no such a thing as society“ and culture vs. nature

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Buen Vivir and the government

Governmental Plans since 2006 National Development Plan 2007-2010 SENPLADES: National Plan for the Buen Vivir

2009-2013 y 2013-2017

→ Buen Vivir as harmony

→ Buen Vivir as alternative to capitalism (Socialism of Buen Vivir)

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Buen Vivir of SENPLADES - I

“Buen Vivir does not postulate the no-development, but contributes to a different vision of economy, politics, social relations and the preservation of life on the planet. Buen Vivir promotes the communitarian and sustainable search for collective happiness and an improvement of the quality of life starting from the values.“ (Senplades 2013: 23)

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Buen Vivir of SENPLADES - II

6 Dimensions (in 12 Objetives):

1. Productive diversification and economic security

2. Universal access to superior goods

3. Social equity

4. Social participation

5. Cultural diversity

6. Sustainability

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Sumak Kawsay vs. Buen Vivir?

Indigenous Movement Social transformation

Harmony with nature

Autonomous management within Plurinationality

Government Economic and

political transformation

Rights of nature, sustainability

Centralized management with autonomies

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Thank you!

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To go on readingAltmann, Philipp:

(2013) Die Indigenenbewegung in Ecuador. Diskurs und Dekolonialität, Bielefeld: transcript.

(2013) El Sumak Kawsay en el discurso del movimiento indígena ecuatoriano, in: INDIANA 30: 283-299, http://www.iai.spk-berlin.de/fileadmin/dokumentenbibliothek/Indiana/Indiana_30/IND_30_2013_283-299_Altmann.pdf.

(2013) Das Gute Leben als Alternative zum Wachstum? Der Fall Ecuador, in: Sozialwissenschaften und Berufspraxis 36 (1): 101-111.

(2013) Good Life as a social movement proposal for natural resource use: The indigenous movement in Ecuador, in: Consilience: The Journal of Sustainable Development X: 59-71, http://www.consiliencejournal.org/index.php/consilience/article/viewFile/340/165.