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Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay and Their Implementations in the Ecuadorian Context

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Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay and Their Implementations in the Ecuadorian Context University of Amsterdam Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development Graduate School of Social Sciences Master in International Development Studies Looking for alternatives to development: Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay and their implementations in the Ecuadorian context María Fernanda Viteri Vela 10967702 [email protected] Thesis supervisor: Courtney Vegelin Second reader: Enrique Gomez-Llata November 21, 2015 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ ii Acronyms ........................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................ iv 1. Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 2. Theoretical framework ................................................................................. 7 Post-development: a search for alternatives to mainstream development .................. 7 Sumak Kawsay and Buen Vivir: origins and theoretical stances ............................... 13 3. Methodology and research methods .......................................................... 23 Research questions ................................................................................................. 23 Ontology and Epistemology ..................................................................................... 24 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 26 Methods .................................................................................................................. 26 4. Empirical context ....................................................................................... 30 5. Data analysis and findings ......................................................................... 35 Buen Vivir as an axis of public policy in Ecuador ...................................................... 35 Sumak Kawsay: a call for a change in civilization ..................................................... 46 Contributions of Sumak Kawsay and Buen Vivir to the development debate ............ 52 6. Conclusion and recommendations ............................................................. 58 Challenges and limitations ........................................................................................ 58 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 58 Closing remarks ....................................................................................................... 61 List of references .............................................................................................. 64 Acknowledgements To my family, for always being my rock and my support and for always inspiring me to be better. To the people interviewed during research, thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. To the indigenous peoples of Ecuador, for inspiring me to dream of a better world, one we all hope to live in one day. ii Acronyms CODENPE Council for the Development of Nationalities and Peoples of Ecuador CONAIE Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador ECUARUNARI Confederation of Peoples of Kichwa Nationality in Ecuador PNBV National Plan for Buen Vivir SENPLADES Secretariat for Planning and Development SBV Secretariat for the Construction of the Society of Buen Vivir iii Abstract Ecuador makes use of the concepts of Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay as alternatives to development. Regardless of their similarities, the concepts represent diverging approaches in Ecuador – Buen Vivir through policy and planning strategies by the national government, and Sumak Kawsay by the indigenous nationalities based on their traditional values and principles. However, each concept encounters challenges in its implementation, be it through a change in their meaning as is the case of Buen Vivir, or with regard to the recognition of diverse knowledges in Ecuador for Sumak Kawsay. Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay have become popular concepts since their inclusion in the Ecuadorian Constitution, meaning that literature addresses them from 2009 onwards. Yet, the majority of the existing literature found is in Spanish, limiting the promotion of Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay in English-speaking academic debates regarding Southern alternatives to development. This research examines how Buen Vivir is being implemented in comparison of Sumak Kawsay in the Ecuadorian context as alternatives to mainstream development. This document studies the origin and evolution of both concepts, analyzing how they can be incorporated within post-development theory. Additionally, it assesses the civilizational change promoted by both concepts, which seeks a harmonious lifestyle with nature and with society. Information was gathered through in-depth interviews with actors with different worldviews, from indigenous people to government officials and scholars that have studied these concepts, enriching the debate around them. Moreover, an analysis of secondary sources was made, including policy documents and existing academic literature. By being critical of mainstream development and of economic growth based on wealth accumulation, Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay are inscribed in the post-development paradigm, challenging notions of neoliberal and capitalist development. Thus, Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay contribute to an epistemic rupture of how we understand progress by promoting a civilizational change based on a harmonious relationship with nature, where the role of community and cultural identities are valued and where diverse knowledges are recognized. This thesis brings some insight into the debate between Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay as innovative political and academic proposals from the Global South. This paper contributes to future analyses of new alternatives to the development problem by evaluating both concepts’ viability. Key words: Buen Vivir, Sumak Kawsay, indigenous knowledge, post-development alternatives iv 1. Introduction In the last decades, it has become evident that there is a need for a new paradigm of development that focuses on more than economic growth. Indeed, new alternatives have been proposed to the mainstream understanding of development which privileges economic growth, such as the de-growth movement, human development or even sustainable development. This has also allowed that alternatives from the Global South be taken into consideration. Such is the case of Buen Vivir in Ecuador, which, according to the preamble of the 2008 National Constitution, is a harmonious way of living between society and nature. This paradigm is based on the worldviews of the different indigenous peoples of the Andes, what is called Sumak Kawsay in the case of Ecuador. Indeed, it has been used as a synonym for Buen Vivir throughout the Ecuadorian Constitution as well as other official documents from the national government. As explained by Gudynas, the concept of Buen Vivir has received “widespread attention, and in a short period of time received broad social, cultural and political support” (2011: 442). Hence, this thesis will focus on the Ecuadorian concepts of Buen Vivir and Sumak Kawsay as possible alternatives to mainstream development. The inclusion of the concept of Buen Vivir in the national charter of 2008 for the first time was groundbreaking since it promotes several rights of Buen Vivir – among these, a chapter on the Rights of Nature – and also a Regime of Buen Vivir, with elements such as inclusion and equality, health, biodiversity, among others, which is closely linked to a chapter in the Constitution that calls for a new development regime that seeks to establish planning strategies that contribute to attaining Buen Vivir for all citizens. As such, it is possible to state that the charter introduces Buen Vivir not only as a goal to be achieved in the sake of all Ecuadorians, but also as a policy framework where the development regime takes place. Furthermore, the goal of Buen Vivir as living harmoniously with society and with the environment can be visualized through the indigenous understanding of Sumak Kawsay, which calls for a communal-based way of living and sustainable use of the land. As such, we may say that Buen Vivir can be considered as a concept drawn from the indigenous perspective of Sumak Kawsay, as a policy framework under which the development strategies are drafted, and as the 1 central objective set by the government to be attained through the enforcement of public policy; all these points will be explained later on in this thesis. Additionally, Buen Vivir is sometimes considered as a socialist ideology, “as Buen Vivir moves in a post-capitalist direction, it is common for many people to assume that it is a new type of socialism or that there is a socialist trend towards Buen Vivir” (Gudynas, 2011: 446). Indeed, Álvarez González considers that, “Sumak Kawsay is anticapitalist because its epistemic structure does not objectify nature, it is communitarian and its rise is possible due to the rupture of the scientific knowledge exclusive to Modernity” (2013: 116-7); then, Buen Vivir also questions capitalism since it is inspired by Sumak Kawsay. However, Gudynas also considers that Buen Vivir or Sumak Kawsay go beyond socialism as well as beyond capitalism; since both “explore and build alternatives
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