Headline:
The Pursuit of a „Good Life“ – A concept from the Andes as a model for Europe?
Manuals offering advice on how to lead a "happier" or a “better life” seem to be in great demand. We live in times of a financial crisis, climate catastrophes, and increased consumption in some parts of the world accompanied by rising poverty in others. In this context, our need to search for alternative lifestyles beyond “faster, higher and bigger” is becoming ever more urgent.
The Latin-American idea of „”Buen Vivir“, associated with living a good life that is grounded in the values and cosmovisions of indigenous cultures of the Andean countries, seems to offer an alternative concept to that development and to fundamentally challenge the western way of life. Whereas in the U.S. constitution the idea of the “Pursuit of Happiness” has already been prescribed, it remains limited to the individual happiness of a single person. By contrast, "Buen Vivir" focuses on the social well-being of a whole society and its harmony with nature. In 2008 and 2009, Buen Vivir has been officially included in the constitutions of Ecuador and Bolivia. In both cases, “living well” became a constitutional goal of the state and nature has been reconceived as a subject of rights.
Yet, what does "living well" mean in practice? How is the principle applied in the Andean countries and how can the respective governments guarantee its enforcement? Can the principle find approval in European countries as well? Which conditions would need to be realized for implementing "Buen Vivir" beforehand?
Together with Dr. Ana Agostino, a post-development theorist, working with UNDP and CLAEH (Latin American Centre for Human Economy) in Uruguay, participants from political and scientific backgrounds will discuss these question within the workshop “Buen Vivir and the Search for Alternatives to Development”. The workshop will take place on the 16th of July 2013 at the IASS Potsdam.
Please find further information here.
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