On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay
'Sumak' kawsay, a vision of good living originating in the thought of indigenous intellectuals, has attracted many commentators since its incorporation into Ecuador’s 2008 constitution. But it remains unclear in much of the secondary literature how the discourse of sumak kawsay and its Spa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Latin American Research Review |
| Online Access: | https://larrlasa.org/articles/132 |
| _version_ | 1811193371031502848 |
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| author | Joe Quick James T. Spartz |
| author_facet | Joe Quick James T. Spartz |
| author_sort | Joe Quick |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 'Sumak' kawsay, a vision of good living originating in the thought of indigenous intellectuals, has attracted many commentators since its incorporation into Ecuador’s 2008 constitution. But it remains unclear in much of the secondary literature how the discourse of sumak kawsay and its Spanish derivative 'buen' 'vivir' relate to the day-to-day experiences of indigenous people. We address this lack of clarity through a three-part exploration of Kichwa perspectives on the good life. First, we describe how day-to-day discussions are more likely to revolve around the actually existing life of struggle. Then we analyze an artistic genre that illustrates how decolonized indigenous lives might look. Finally, we examine how the decolonial political philosophy of sumak kawsay has emerged out of concerted collective efforts to overcome the life of struggle. We consider how these three instances of discourse relate to a long Andean history of looking to the past for an alternative to the hardships of the present, and conclude with a call to take indigenous perspectives more fully into account when concepts such as sumak kawsay are invoked by nonindigenous actors. Resumen Sumak kawsay, una visión de la buena vida que origina en el pensamiento de los intelectuales indígenas, ha sido el objeto de muchos comentarios desde su inclusión en la constitución ecuatoriana de 2008. Sin embargo no queda claro en gran parte de la literatura secundaria cómo el discurso de sumak kawsay y su derivado español buen vivir se relacionan con las experiencias cotidianas de los pueblos indígenas. Acercamos a esta falta de claridad a través de una exploración en tres partes de las perspectivas Kichwas sobre la buena vida. En primer lugar, describimos cómo es más común en las discusiones cotidianas hablar de las dificultades de la vida actual. Luego analizamos un género artístico que ilustra cómo las vidas indígenas descolonizadas podrían verse. Finalmente, examinamos cómo la filosofía política decolonial de sumak kawsay ha surgido de esfuerzos colectivos para superar la mala vida. Consideramos cómo estas tres instancias de discurso se refieren a una larga historia andina de buscar en el pasado una alternativa a las dificultades del presente y concluimos con una llamada a tomar más en cuenta las perspectivas indígenas. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:07:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6fcf438b61a6411493018723196f0a4f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0023-8791 1542-4278 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T00:07:11Z |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Latin American Research Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-6fcf438b61a6411493018723196f0a4f2022-12-22T03:56:04ZengCambridge University PressLatin American Research Review0023-87911542-42782018-12-0153475776910.25222/larr.132164On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak KawsayJoe Quick0James T. Spartz1University of Wisconsin-MadisonUnity College, ME'Sumak' kawsay, a vision of good living originating in the thought of indigenous intellectuals, has attracted many commentators since its incorporation into Ecuador’s 2008 constitution. But it remains unclear in much of the secondary literature how the discourse of sumak kawsay and its Spanish derivative 'buen' 'vivir' relate to the day-to-day experiences of indigenous people. We address this lack of clarity through a three-part exploration of Kichwa perspectives on the good life. First, we describe how day-to-day discussions are more likely to revolve around the actually existing life of struggle. Then we analyze an artistic genre that illustrates how decolonized indigenous lives might look. Finally, we examine how the decolonial political philosophy of sumak kawsay has emerged out of concerted collective efforts to overcome the life of struggle. We consider how these three instances of discourse relate to a long Andean history of looking to the past for an alternative to the hardships of the present, and conclude with a call to take indigenous perspectives more fully into account when concepts such as sumak kawsay are invoked by nonindigenous actors. Resumen Sumak kawsay, una visión de la buena vida que origina en el pensamiento de los intelectuales indígenas, ha sido el objeto de muchos comentarios desde su inclusión en la constitución ecuatoriana de 2008. Sin embargo no queda claro en gran parte de la literatura secundaria cómo el discurso de sumak kawsay y su derivado español buen vivir se relacionan con las experiencias cotidianas de los pueblos indígenas. Acercamos a esta falta de claridad a través de una exploración en tres partes de las perspectivas Kichwas sobre la buena vida. En primer lugar, describimos cómo es más común en las discusiones cotidianas hablar de las dificultades de la vida actual. Luego analizamos un género artístico que ilustra cómo las vidas indígenas descolonizadas podrían verse. Finalmente, examinamos cómo la filosofía política decolonial de sumak kawsay ha surgido de esfuerzos colectivos para superar la mala vida. Consideramos cómo estas tres instancias de discurso se refieren a una larga historia andina de buscar en el pasado una alternativa a las dificultades del presente y concluimos con una llamada a tomar más en cuenta las perspectivas indígenas.https://larrlasa.org/articles/132 |
| spellingShingle | Joe Quick James T. Spartz On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay Latin American Research Review |
| title | On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay |
| title_full | On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay |
| title_fullStr | On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay |
| title_full_unstemmed | On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay |
| title_short | On the Pursuit of Good Living in Highland Ecuador: Critical Indigenous Discourses of Sumak Kawsay |
| title_sort | on the pursuit of good living in highland ecuador critical indigenous discourses of sumak kawsay |
| url | https://larrlasa.org/articles/132 |
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