The Dictionary of Radical Alternatives - User contributions [en]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:18:58Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{#USERNAME:|}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:17:14Z

Admin:

{{#ifingroup:sysop|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:15:58Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{#USERNAME:}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:15:43Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{REVISIONUSER}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

{{#USERNAME:}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:15:17Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{REVISIONUSER}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

{{CURRENTUSER}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:14:39Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{REVISIONUSER}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:13:59Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{LOGGEDINUSER}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:13:14Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{CURRENTUSER}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Create a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:06:34Z

Admin:

{{#if:{{#USERNAME:}}|
As website administrator, you can directly:

* '''[[Contribute/List|Review existing Contributions]]'''
* [[Concepts|Crate a new Concept page]]
* [[Definitions|Upload a new Definition for a Concept]]

-----
|}}

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Contribute

2026-03-19T16:06:29Z

Admin:

This Dictionary is alive and open to contributions. You are invited to:

* [[Contribute/Concept|Suggest a new Concept that is not currently included]]
* [[Contribute/Definition|Provide a new Definition of an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Illustration|Contribute with a new Illustration for an existing Concept]]
* [[Contribute/Translation|Collaborate with a translation of an existing Definition]]

Main Page

2026-03-16T17:18:58Z

Admin:

<section id="home-exp">
<div class='container'>

<div class='col-md-4 col-sm-6'>
<div class='sidebar'>
<div class='sidebar-head'>
This platform aims to share worldviews and practices around alternatives processes in a collaborative way. '''[[Introduction|➤]]'''
</div><div class="region-accordion panel-group" id="accordion-regiones" role="tablist" aria-multiselectable="false">

<div class="region-title">Concepts by Region</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-africa" aria-expanded="true">
<h4 class="panel-title">
AFRICA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-top"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-africa" class="panel-collapse collapse in">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Africa]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-latinamerica" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
LATIN AMERICA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-latinamerica" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Latin America]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-oceania" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
OCEANIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-oceania" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Oceania]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-centralasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
CENTRAL ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-centralasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Central Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-sasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-sasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-seasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH EAST ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-seasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South East Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-globalsouth" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
GLOBAL SOUTH <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-globalsouth" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Global South]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-southnorth" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH IN THE NORTH <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-southnorth" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South in the North]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>

</div>

<html>
<script>
// Cambia los íconos de los chevrons al abrir/cerrar
$('#accordion-regiones').on('shown.bs.collapse', function (e) {
$(e.target).prev('.panel-heading').find('.chevron')
.removeClass('glyphicon-triangle-bottom')
.addClass('glyphicon-triangle-top');
});

$('#accordion-regiones').on('hidden.bs.collapse', function (e) {
$(e.target).prev('.panel-heading').find('.chevron')
.removeClass('glyphicon-triangle-top')
.addClass('glyphicon-triangle-bottom');
});
</script>
</html>
</div>
</div>

<div class='col-md-8 col-sm-6' style="padding-top:20px;">

{{#ask:
[[Category:FeaturedConcepts]]
|?Concepts:region
|?Concepts:ethimology
|?Concepts:illustration
|format=template
|template=ConceptMeme
|named args=yes
|order=rand
|limit=1
}}

</div>

</div>

</div>
</section>

<div class='col-md-12' style="padding: 3px 0 !important; background: white;">
{{#ask:
[[Category:Concepts]]
|?concepts:geolocation
|format=leaflet
|layers=CartoDB.DarkMatter
|zoom=1
|height=600
|clustermaxradius=30
|enable.fullscreen=yes
|hidenamespace=yes
|copycoords=yes
|markercluster=no
|limit=2000
}}
</div>

__NOTOC__
__NOEDITSECTION__

<html>
<style>
h1#firstHeading {
display: none;
}
</style>
</html>

[[Category:ConFormato]]
{{#css:
.mw-editsection, .contentHeader {display:none !important;}
hr {margin: 0;}

section#home-header {
background: #117411;
color: white;
font-size: 20pt;
text-align: center;
margin: -1em 0 0em 0;
padding: 0.5em 0px 0.5em 0;
position: relative;
z-index: 300;
box-shadow: 0px 3px 20px 0px #141414;
}

section#map {
z-index: 200;
}

section#map > div{
background-color: rgb(30, 96, 17) !important;
}

section#home-exp h2 {
font-size: 30pt;
margin: 1em 0;
}

span.home-exp-destacada-grande-titulo {
font-size: 40pt;
max-width: 445px;
float: left;
font-family: Alegreya,Georgia,serif;
font-weight: 400;
line-height: 1.2;
color: #212529;
text-align: left;
margin-top: 50px;
}

span.home-exp-destacada-grande-lugar {
float: left;
position: relative;
width: 100%;
font-size: 16pt;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande span.boton-1 {
position: relative;
bottom: 0;
left: 0;
margin: 20px 0;
float: left;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande {
position: relative;
z-index: -1;
min-height: 400px;
padding-left: 100px;
margin-left: -8em;
}
div#home-exp-destacada-grande:before {
position: absolute;
width: 1500px;
height: 100%;
top: 0;
left: 0%;
content: "";


z-index: -1;
background-size: cover;
background-blend-mode: overlay;
background-position-y: 60%;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande h3 {
font-size: 32pt;
float: left;
max-width: 400px;
text-align: left;
font-weight: 400;
}

span.boton-1 {
display: inline-flex;
}
p > br {display:none !important;}

.mw-body {
margin: 1em 0 -1px !important;
}

.col-md-4 h3, .srf-tagcloud {
text-align: center;
}

.CategoryTreeTag {
margin-top: 0.5ex;
margin-bottom: 0.5ex;
column-count: 2;
column-gap: 20px;
text-align: left;
}

/* ===== ESTILOS GENERALES ===== */
.region-accordion {
background-color: #00ff00; /* verde brillante */
border: none;
padding: 0;
font-family: "Georgia", serif;
padding-top: 40px;
margin-top: -25px;
}

.region-accordion .panel {
border: none;
box-shadow: none;
margin: 0;
background-color: transparent;
}

/* ===== HEADER ===== */
.region-accordion .panel-heading {
background-color: #00ff00;
border: none;
text-align: right; /* ← texto alineado a la derecha */
cursor: pointer;
padding: 10px 20px;
transition: background-color 0.2s ease;
}

.region-accordion .panel-heading:hover {
background-color: #1aff1a;
}

.region-accordion .panel-title {
font-weight: bold;
text-transform: uppercase;
color: #000;
font-size: 16px;
display: flex;
justify-content: flex-end; /* ← contenido a la derecha */
align-items: center;
gap: 10px;
}

/* ===== CHEVRON ===== */
.chevron {
font-size: 14px;
transition: transform 0.2s ease;
}

.collapsed .chevron {
transform: rotate(0deg);
}

.panel-heading:not(.collapsed) .chevron {
transform: rotate(180deg);
}

/* ===== CONTENIDO ===== */
.region-accordion .panel-body {
background-color: #66ff66;
border-top: 1px solid #00cc00;
padding: 8px 15px;
text-align: right; /* ← contenido también alineado a la derecha */
}

.region-accordion .panel-body ul {
list-style-type: none;
padding-left: 0;
margin: 0;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li {
border-bottom: 1px solid #00cc00;
padding: 5px 0;
color: #003300;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li:last-child {
border-bottom: none;
}

.sidebar-head {
background: #008001;
clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 100%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));
position: relative;
padding-bottom: 20px;
z-index: 2;
}

.sidebar-head p {
padding: 20px;
margin: 0;
color: white;
font-family: 'EB Garamond' !important;
font-size: 15pt;
line-height: 2.5rem !important;
}

.sidebar-head a {
color: white;
}

.panel-group {
/*clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 100%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));*/
padding-bottom: 30px;
z-index: 1;
}

.mw-body {
margin: -10px 0 !important;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li {
list-style: none;
}

ul.smw-format.ul-format {
margin-block-end: 0 !important;
}

.panel-body a {
color: black;
}

div#accordion-regiones {
font-family: 'EB Garamond';
}

/* ===== TITULO GENERAL ===== */
.region-title {
font-weight: bold;
text-align: right;
margin-top: 10px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #000;
color: #000;
padding-right: 15px;
text-align: left;
padding: 5px 19px;
}
.smw-template-furtherresults {
display:none;
}

.sidebar, .concept-meme {
box-shadow: #00000091 0px 0px 23px;
}

}}

<html>
<style>

.leaflet-bottom.leaflet-right, .leaflet-touch .leaflet-control-layers, .leaflet-touch .leaflet-bar {
display: none;
}

.leaflet-marker-icon img, img.leaflet-marker-icon.leaflet-zoom-animated.leaflet-interactive {
filter: invert(18%) sepia(67%) saturate(3680%) hue-rotate(93deg) brightness(95%) contrast(103%);
}

.leaflet-tile-pane {
z-index: 200;
filter: invert(3%) sepia(67%) saturate(3682%) hue-rotate(83deg) brightness(95%) contrast(87%) !important;
}

.leaflet-marker-icon span {
color: white;
}

.leaflet-container:after {
content: '';
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
box-shadow: black 0 0px 19px -8px inset;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
z-index: 1000000;
pointer-events:none;
}
div#map_leaflet_1 {
background: linear-gradient(0deg,#152e11 50%,#1e6011 50%);
}
</style>
</html>

Template:ConceptMeme

2026-03-02T16:29:39Z

Admin:

<div class="concept-meme" data-bg="{{filepath:{{{Concepts:illustration}}}}}"
style="background-image: url('{{filepath:{{{Concepts:illustration}}}}}');">


<div class="concept-banner">Featured Concept</div>


<div class="concept-card">
<div class="concept-region">{{{Concepts:region}}}</div>
<div class="concept-title">{{{1}}}</div>
<div class="concept-description">{{{Concepts:ethimology}}}</div>
</div>
</div>

<html>
<style>
/* --- CONTENEDOR PRINCIPAL --- */
.concept-meme {
position: relative;
width: 100%;
aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;
background-size: cover;
background-position: center;
overflow: visible;
border: 3px solid white;
font-family: 'EB Garamond', 'Georgia', serif;
}

/* --- CINTA VERDE --- */
.concept-banner {
position: absolute;
top: -5px;
right: 30px;
background-color: #00ff00;
color: black;
font-weight: bold;
padding: 6px 40px;
font-size: 14px;
box-shadow: 0 2px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.4);
z-index: 2;
clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 75%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));
/* position: relative; */
padding-bottom: 30px;
max-width: 250px;
/* box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px #000; */
}

/* --- BLOQUE DE TEXTO CENTRAL --- */
.concept-card {
position: absolute;
bottom: 0;
width: 100%;
background: rgba(0,0,0,0.55);
text-align: center;
padding: 40px 20px;
box-shadow: inset 0 20px 40px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);
}

/* --- ETIQUETA DE REGIÓN --- */
.concept-region {
display: inline-block;
background: rgba(255,255,255,0.85);
color: #000;
font-size: 12px;
letter-spacing: 0.8px;
padding: 4px 10px;
margin-bottom: 12px;
text-transform: uppercase;
font-weight: 600;
border-radius: 2px;
}

/* --- TÍTULO DEL CONCEPTO --- */
.concept-title {
font-size: 42px;
font-weight: bold;
color: white;
letter-spacing: 2px;
text-transform: uppercase;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}

.concept-title a {
color: white !important;
}

/* --- DESCRIPCIÓN / FRASE --- */
.concept-description {
font-style: italic;
font-size: 18px;
color: #f9f9f9;
line-height: 1.4em;
max-width: 80%;
margin: 0 auto;
text-shadow: 1px 1px 3px rgba(0,0,0,0.5);
}
</style>
</html>

<html>
<script>
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
var card = document.querySelector(".concept-meme");
if (card) {
var bgUrl = card.getAttribute("data-bg");
if (bgUrl) {
document.body.style.backgroundImage = "url('" + bgUrl + "')";
document.body.style.backgroundSize = "cover";
document.body.style.backgroundPosition = "center center";
document.body.style.backgroundRepeat = "no-repeat";
document.body.style.backgroundAttachment = "fixed";
document.body.style.backdropFilter = "blur(9px) brightness(71%) grayscale(39%)";
}
}
});
</script>
</html>

Concepts:Relationality

2026-02-24T12:22:16Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=The etymology of "relationality" comes from the Latin root relatio, meaning "a report" or "a bringing back," and the English suffix "-ity," which forms abstract nouns. "Relationality" itself is an 1866 formation meaning the state of being related or connected, derived from the word "relational," which signifies something "of, like, or pertaining to a relation".
|concepts:summary=Relationality is a concept, practice, ethics, and politics that challenges the dominant modern ontology of separation underpinning capitalism, colonialism, and state power. Rooted in Indigenous cosmovisions and expanded by activist and scholarly debates, relationality posits radical interdependence among humans, non-humans, and earth-beings as the foundation of reality.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Ubuntu, Buen Vivir, Comunalidad, Vernacular Values, Kaitiakitanga, Masling
|concepts:categories=Care, Decolonization, Futures, Intergenerational Justice, Re-Existence
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Relationality.jpg
|concepts:illustrationauthor=Omar Valencia Pérez
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
|concepts:country=CO
|concepts:region=Global South
|concepts:geolocation=4.57087, -74.29733
}}

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2026-02-24T12:21:02Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. Tornel definition's builds on that and provide examples, such as the case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Vernacular Values.jpg
|concepts:illustrationauthor=Omar Valencia Pérez
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
}}
<html>
<style>
ul.mw-prefixindex-list {
margin-left: 3.5ex;
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
ul.mw-prefixindex-list > li {
transform: rotate(-180deg);
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2026-02-24T12:17:43Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. Tornel definition's builds on that and provide examples, such as the case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Vernacular Values.jpg
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
}}
<html>
<style>
ul.mw-prefixindex-list {
margin-left: 3.5ex;
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
ul.mw-prefixindex-list > li {
transform: rotate(-180deg);
}
</style>
</html>

Main Page

2026-02-17T20:56:28Z

Admin:

<section id="home-exp">
<div class='container'>

<div class='col-md-4 col-sm-6'>
<div class='sidebar'>
<div class='sidebar-head'>
This platform aims to share worldviews and practices around alternatives processes in a collaborative way. '''[[Introduction|➤]]'''
</div><div class="region-accordion panel-group" id="accordion-regiones" role="tablist" aria-multiselectable="false">

<div class="region-title">Concepts by Region</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-africa" aria-expanded="true">
<h4 class="panel-title">
AFRICA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-top"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-africa" class="panel-collapse collapse in">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Africa]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-latinamerica" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
LATIN AMERICA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-latinamerica" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Latin America]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-oceania" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
OCEANIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-oceania" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Oceania]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-centralasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
CENTRAL ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-centralasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Central Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-seasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-seasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-seasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH EAST ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-seasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South East Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-globalsouth" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
GLOBAL SOUTH <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-globalsouth" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Global South]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-southnorth" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH IN THE NORTH <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-southnorth" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South in the North]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>

</div>

<html>
<script>
// Cambia los íconos de los chevrons al abrir/cerrar
$('#accordion-regiones').on('shown.bs.collapse', function (e) {
$(e.target).prev('.panel-heading').find('.chevron')
.removeClass('glyphicon-triangle-bottom')
.addClass('glyphicon-triangle-top');
});

$('#accordion-regiones').on('hidden.bs.collapse', function (e) {
$(e.target).prev('.panel-heading').find('.chevron')
.removeClass('glyphicon-triangle-top')
.addClass('glyphicon-triangle-bottom');
});
</script>
</html>
</div>
</div>

<div class='col-md-8 col-sm-6' style="padding-top:20px;">

{{#ask:
[[Category:FeaturedConcepts]]
|?Concepts:region
|?Concepts:ethimology
|?Concepts:illustration
|format=template
|template=ConceptMeme
|named args=yes
|order=rand
|limit=1
}}

</div>

</div>

</div>
</section>

<div class='col-md-12' style="padding: 3px 0 !important; background: white;">
{{#ask:
[[Category:Concepts]]
|?concepts:geolocation
|format=leaflet
|layers=CartoDB.DarkMatter
|zoom=1
|height=600
|clustermaxradius=30
|enable.fullscreen=yes
|hidenamespace=yes
|copycoords=yes
|markercluster=no
|limit=2000
}}
</div>

__NOTOC__
__NOEDITSECTION__

<html>
<style>
h1#firstHeading {
display: none;
}
</style>
</html>

[[Category:ConFormato]]
{{#css:
.mw-editsection, .contentHeader {display:none !important;}
hr {margin: 0;}

section#home-header {
background: #117411;
color: white;
font-size: 20pt;
text-align: center;
margin: -1em 0 0em 0;
padding: 0.5em 0px 0.5em 0;
position: relative;
z-index: 300;
box-shadow: 0px 3px 20px 0px #141414;
}

section#map {
z-index: 200;
}

section#map > div{
background-color: rgb(30, 96, 17) !important;
}

section#home-exp h2 {
font-size: 30pt;
margin: 1em 0;
}

span.home-exp-destacada-grande-titulo {
font-size: 40pt;
max-width: 445px;
float: left;
font-family: Alegreya,Georgia,serif;
font-weight: 400;
line-height: 1.2;
color: #212529;
text-align: left;
margin-top: 50px;
}

span.home-exp-destacada-grande-lugar {
float: left;
position: relative;
width: 100%;
font-size: 16pt;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande span.boton-1 {
position: relative;
bottom: 0;
left: 0;
margin: 20px 0;
float: left;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande {
position: relative;
z-index: -1;
min-height: 400px;
padding-left: 100px;
margin-left: -8em;
}
div#home-exp-destacada-grande:before {
position: absolute;
width: 1500px;
height: 100%;
top: 0;
left: 0%;
content: "";


z-index: -1;
background-size: cover;
background-blend-mode: overlay;
background-position-y: 60%;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande h3 {
font-size: 32pt;
float: left;
max-width: 400px;
text-align: left;
font-weight: 400;
}

span.boton-1 {
display: inline-flex;
}
p > br {display:none !important;}

.mw-body {
margin: 1em 0 -1px !important;
}

.col-md-4 h3, .srf-tagcloud {
text-align: center;
}

.CategoryTreeTag {
margin-top: 0.5ex;
margin-bottom: 0.5ex;
column-count: 2;
column-gap: 20px;
text-align: left;
}

/* ===== ESTILOS GENERALES ===== */
.region-accordion {
background-color: #00ff00; /* verde brillante */
border: none;
padding: 0;
font-family: "Georgia", serif;
padding-top: 40px;
margin-top: -25px;
}

.region-accordion .panel {
border: none;
box-shadow: none;
margin: 0;
background-color: transparent;
}

/* ===== HEADER ===== */
.region-accordion .panel-heading {
background-color: #00ff00;
border: none;
text-align: right; /* ← texto alineado a la derecha */
cursor: pointer;
padding: 10px 20px;
transition: background-color 0.2s ease;
}

.region-accordion .panel-heading:hover {
background-color: #1aff1a;
}

.region-accordion .panel-title {
font-weight: bold;
text-transform: uppercase;
color: #000;
font-size: 16px;
display: flex;
justify-content: flex-end; /* ← contenido a la derecha */
align-items: center;
gap: 10px;
}

/* ===== CHEVRON ===== */
.chevron {
font-size: 14px;
transition: transform 0.2s ease;
}

.collapsed .chevron {
transform: rotate(0deg);
}

.panel-heading:not(.collapsed) .chevron {
transform: rotate(180deg);
}

/* ===== CONTENIDO ===== */
.region-accordion .panel-body {
background-color: #66ff66;
border-top: 1px solid #00cc00;
padding: 8px 15px;
text-align: right; /* ← contenido también alineado a la derecha */
}

.region-accordion .panel-body ul {
list-style-type: none;
padding-left: 0;
margin: 0;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li {
border-bottom: 1px solid #00cc00;
padding: 5px 0;
color: #003300;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li:last-child {
border-bottom: none;
}

.sidebar-head {
background: #008001;
clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 100%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));
position: relative;
padding-bottom: 20px;
z-index: 2;
}

.sidebar-head p {
padding: 20px;
margin: 0;
color: white;
font-family: 'EB Garamond' !important;
font-size: 15pt;
line-height: 2.5rem !important;
}

.sidebar-head a {
color: white;
}

.panel-group {
/*clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 100%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));*/
padding-bottom: 30px;
z-index: 1;
}

.mw-body {
margin: -10px 0 !important;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li {
list-style: none;
}

ul.smw-format.ul-format {
margin-block-end: 0 !important;
}

.panel-body a {
color: black;
}

div#accordion-regiones {
font-family: 'EB Garamond';
}

/* ===== TITULO GENERAL ===== */
.region-title {
font-weight: bold;
text-align: right;
margin-top: 10px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #000;
color: #000;
padding-right: 15px;
text-align: left;
padding: 5px 19px;
}
.smw-template-furtherresults {
display:none;
}

.sidebar, .concept-meme {
box-shadow: #00000091 0px 0px 23px;
}

}}

<html>
<style>

.leaflet-bottom.leaflet-right, .leaflet-touch .leaflet-control-layers, .leaflet-touch .leaflet-bar {
display: none;
}

.leaflet-marker-icon img, img.leaflet-marker-icon.leaflet-zoom-animated.leaflet-interactive {
filter: invert(18%) sepia(67%) saturate(3680%) hue-rotate(93deg) brightness(95%) contrast(103%);
}

.leaflet-tile-pane {
z-index: 200;
filter: invert(3%) sepia(67%) saturate(3682%) hue-rotate(83deg) brightness(95%) contrast(87%) !important;
}

.leaflet-marker-icon span {
color: white;
}

.leaflet-container:after {
content: '';
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
box-shadow: black 0 0px 19px -8px inset;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
z-index: 1000000;
pointer-events:none;
}
div#map_leaflet_1 {
background: linear-gradient(0deg,#152e11 50%,#1e6011 50%);
}
</style>
</html>

Main Page

2026-02-17T20:55:24Z

Admin:

<section id="home-exp">
<div class='container'>

<div class='col-md-4 col-sm-6'>
<div class='sidebar'>
<div class='sidebar-head'>
This platform aims to share worldviews and practices around alternatives processes in a collaborative way. '''[[Introduction|➤]]'''
</div><div class="region-accordion panel-group" id="accordion-regiones" role="tablist" aria-multiselectable="false">

<div class="region-title">Concepts by Region</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-africa" aria-expanded="true">
<h4 class="panel-title">
AFRICA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-top"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-africa" class="panel-collapse collapse in">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Africa]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-latinamerica" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
LATIN AMERICA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-latinamerica" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Latin America]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-oceania" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
OCEANIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-oceania" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Oceania]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-globalsouth" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
GLOBAL SOUTH <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-globalsouth" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Global South]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-centralasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
CENTRAL ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-centralasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::Central Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-seasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-seasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-seasia" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH EAST ASIA <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-seasia" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South East Asia]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>


<div class="panel panel-default">
<div class="panel-heading collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-parent="#accordion-regiones" data-target="#collapse-southnorth" aria-expanded="false">
<h4 class="panel-title">
SOUTH IN THE NORTH <span class="chevron glyphicon glyphicon-triangle-bottom"></span>
</h4>
</div>
<div id="collapse-southnorth" class="panel-collapse collapse">
<div class="panel-body">
{{#ask: [[Category:Concepts]] [[Concepts:region::South in the North]] |format=ul }}
</div>
</div>
</div>

</div>

<html>
<script>
// Cambia los íconos de los chevrons al abrir/cerrar
$('#accordion-regiones').on('shown.bs.collapse', function (e) {
$(e.target).prev('.panel-heading').find('.chevron')
.removeClass('glyphicon-triangle-bottom')
.addClass('glyphicon-triangle-top');
});

$('#accordion-regiones').on('hidden.bs.collapse', function (e) {
$(e.target).prev('.panel-heading').find('.chevron')
.removeClass('glyphicon-triangle-top')
.addClass('glyphicon-triangle-bottom');
});
</script>
</html>
</div>
</div>

<div class='col-md-8 col-sm-6' style="padding-top:20px;">

{{#ask:
[[Category:FeaturedConcepts]]
|?Concepts:region
|?Concepts:ethimology
|?Concepts:illustration
|format=template
|template=ConceptMeme
|named args=yes
|order=rand
|limit=1
}}

</div>

</div>

</div>
</section>

<div class='col-md-12' style="padding: 3px 0 !important; background: white;">
{{#ask:
[[Category:Concepts]]
|?concepts:geolocation
|format=leaflet
|layers=CartoDB.DarkMatter
|zoom=1
|height=600
|clustermaxradius=30
|enable.fullscreen=yes
|hidenamespace=yes
|copycoords=yes
|markercluster=no
|limit=2000
}}
</div>

__NOTOC__
__NOEDITSECTION__

<html>
<style>
h1#firstHeading {
display: none;
}
</style>
</html>

[[Category:ConFormato]]
{{#css:
.mw-editsection, .contentHeader {display:none !important;}
hr {margin: 0;}

section#home-header {
background: #117411;
color: white;
font-size: 20pt;
text-align: center;
margin: -1em 0 0em 0;
padding: 0.5em 0px 0.5em 0;
position: relative;
z-index: 300;
box-shadow: 0px 3px 20px 0px #141414;
}

section#map {
z-index: 200;
}

section#map > div{
background-color: rgb(30, 96, 17) !important;
}

section#home-exp h2 {
font-size: 30pt;
margin: 1em 0;
}

span.home-exp-destacada-grande-titulo {
font-size: 40pt;
max-width: 445px;
float: left;
font-family: Alegreya,Georgia,serif;
font-weight: 400;
line-height: 1.2;
color: #212529;
text-align: left;
margin-top: 50px;
}

span.home-exp-destacada-grande-lugar {
float: left;
position: relative;
width: 100%;
font-size: 16pt;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande span.boton-1 {
position: relative;
bottom: 0;
left: 0;
margin: 20px 0;
float: left;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande {
position: relative;
z-index: -1;
min-height: 400px;
padding-left: 100px;
margin-left: -8em;
}
div#home-exp-destacada-grande:before {
position: absolute;
width: 1500px;
height: 100%;
top: 0;
left: 0%;
content: "";


z-index: -1;
background-size: cover;
background-blend-mode: overlay;
background-position-y: 60%;
}

div#home-exp-destacada-grande h3 {
font-size: 32pt;
float: left;
max-width: 400px;
text-align: left;
font-weight: 400;
}

span.boton-1 {
display: inline-flex;
}
p > br {display:none !important;}

.mw-body {
margin: 1em 0 -1px !important;
}

.col-md-4 h3, .srf-tagcloud {
text-align: center;
}

.CategoryTreeTag {
margin-top: 0.5ex;
margin-bottom: 0.5ex;
column-count: 2;
column-gap: 20px;
text-align: left;
}

/* ===== ESTILOS GENERALES ===== */
.region-accordion {
background-color: #00ff00; /* verde brillante */
border: none;
padding: 0;
font-family: "Georgia", serif;
padding-top: 40px;
margin-top: -25px;
}

.region-accordion .panel {
border: none;
box-shadow: none;
margin: 0;
background-color: transparent;
}

/* ===== HEADER ===== */
.region-accordion .panel-heading {
background-color: #00ff00;
border: none;
text-align: right; /* ← texto alineado a la derecha */
cursor: pointer;
padding: 10px 20px;
transition: background-color 0.2s ease;
}

.region-accordion .panel-heading:hover {
background-color: #1aff1a;
}

.region-accordion .panel-title {
font-weight: bold;
text-transform: uppercase;
color: #000;
font-size: 16px;
display: flex;
justify-content: flex-end; /* ← contenido a la derecha */
align-items: center;
gap: 10px;
}

/* ===== CHEVRON ===== */
.chevron {
font-size: 14px;
transition: transform 0.2s ease;
}

.collapsed .chevron {
transform: rotate(0deg);
}

.panel-heading:not(.collapsed) .chevron {
transform: rotate(180deg);
}

/* ===== CONTENIDO ===== */
.region-accordion .panel-body {
background-color: #66ff66;
border-top: 1px solid #00cc00;
padding: 8px 15px;
text-align: right; /* ← contenido también alineado a la derecha */
}

.region-accordion .panel-body ul {
list-style-type: none;
padding-left: 0;
margin: 0;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li {
border-bottom: 1px solid #00cc00;
padding: 5px 0;
color: #003300;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li:last-child {
border-bottom: none;
}

.sidebar-head {
background: #008001;
clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 100%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));
position: relative;
padding-bottom: 20px;
z-index: 2;
}

.sidebar-head p {
padding: 20px;
margin: 0;
color: white;
font-family: 'EB Garamond' !important;
font-size: 15pt;
line-height: 2.5rem !important;
}

.sidebar-head a {
color: white;
}

.panel-group {
/*clip-path: polygon(0 0, 100% 0, 100% calc(100% - 25px), 50% 100%, 0 calc(100% - 25px));*/
padding-bottom: 30px;
z-index: 1;
}

.mw-body {
margin: -10px 0 !important;
}

.region-accordion .panel-body li {
list-style: none;
}

ul.smw-format.ul-format {
margin-block-end: 0 !important;
}

.panel-body a {
color: black;
}

div#accordion-regiones {
font-family: 'EB Garamond';
}

/* ===== TITULO GENERAL ===== */
.region-title {
font-weight: bold;
text-align: right;
margin-top: 10px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #000;
color: #000;
padding-right: 15px;
text-align: left;
padding: 5px 19px;
}
.smw-template-furtherresults {
display:none;
}

.sidebar, .concept-meme {
box-shadow: #00000091 0px 0px 23px;
}

}}

<html>
<style>

.leaflet-bottom.leaflet-right, .leaflet-touch .leaflet-control-layers, .leaflet-touch .leaflet-bar {
display: none;
}

.leaflet-marker-icon img, img.leaflet-marker-icon.leaflet-zoom-animated.leaflet-interactive {
filter: invert(18%) sepia(67%) saturate(3680%) hue-rotate(93deg) brightness(95%) contrast(103%);
}

.leaflet-tile-pane {
z-index: 200;
filter: invert(3%) sepia(67%) saturate(3682%) hue-rotate(83deg) brightness(95%) contrast(87%) !important;
}

.leaflet-marker-icon span {
color: white;
}

.leaflet-container:after {
content: '';
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
box-shadow: black 0 0px 19px -8px inset;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
z-index: 1000000;
pointer-events:none;
}
div#map_leaflet_1 {
background: linear-gradient(0deg,#152e11 50%,#1e6011 50%);
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Swaraj

2026-02-17T20:53:46Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=Swaraj is a concept from South Asia, most notably articulated by Mahatma Gandhi, that literally means “self-rule” (swa = self, raj = rule).
|concepts:description=While it has been used in nationalist movements to signify political independence from colonial rule, Gandhi and later thinkers gave it a deeper ethical, social, and ecological meaning: not merely the transfer of power to a state, but the capacity of individuals and communities to govern themselves in harmony with each other and with nature. Swaraj emphasizes autonomy, decentralization, and self-reliance, where villages and local communities become the foundation of democratic life through direct participation, mutual aid, and subsistence-based economies. In this broader sense, Swaraj is both a philosophy of freedom and responsibility, and a practice of reclaiming dignity, justice, and sustainability outside the logics of domination and exploitation.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, praxes
|concepts:categories=Decentralization, Decolonization, Self Governance, Solidarity, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
|concepts:country=IN
|concepts:region=South Asia
|concepts:geolocation=18.60185, 77.39059
}}

Concepts:Radical Ecological Democracy

2026-02-17T20:53:16Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:description=The term "radical ecological democracy" combines radical democracy, which advocates for the fundamental rethinking and expansion of democratic processes, with ecological principles, emphasizing the need for societies to live within planetary limits and respect nature's integrity. It emerged from critiques of the dominant "development" model, calling for decentralized governance, localized economies, respect for cultural diversity, and a focus on human well-being and ecological resilience. The phrase also reflects the collective search for sustainable alternatives to current economic and political systems, drawing inspiration from grassroots movements and Indigenous communities.
|concepts:summary=Radical Ecological Democracy (RED), is a community-centered framework for just and sustainable well-being that challenges state- and corporate-dominated models. Rooted in grassroots initiatives in India yet resonating worldwide, RED integrates ecological resilience, equity, radical democracy, economic self-reliance, and cultural plurality. It emphasizes commons, sufficiency, diversity, and non-violence, while rejecting top-down ideologies in favor of evolving, participatory praxis. Examples range from Indigenous self-determination in India to the Kurdish Rojava movement, Zapatistas in Mexico, and the Amadiba in South Africa. Through processes like Vikalp Sangam and the Global Tapestry of Alternatives, RED fosters pluriversal pathways of autonomy and ecological democracy.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Swaraj, Autonomy, Democratic Confederalism, Sociocracy, Ta Madok Maka, Timuay, Eco-Territorial Internationalism
|concepts:categories=Care, Decentralization, Decolonization, Environemntal Racism, Futures, Self Governance
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
|concepts:country=IN
|concepts:region=South Asia
|concepts:geolocation=23.16404, 78.57188
}}

Category:South Asia

2026-02-17T20:52:28Z

Admin: Created page with "Category:Regions"

[[Category:Regions]]

Template:DefinitionTrans

2025-12-16T00:34:03Z

Admin:

<noinclude>
This is the "DefinitionTrans" template.
It should be called in the following format:
<pre>
{{DefinitionTrans
|definition:concept=
|definition:summary=
|definition:author=
|definition:quote=
}}
</pre>
Edit the page to see the template text.
</noinclude><includeonly><div class='col-md-8'>{{highlight|{{#ifeq: {{NAMESPACE}} | Definition | This is a suggested defininition for '''[[{{{definition:concept|}}}|{{#replace: {{{definition:concept|}}} | Concepts: | }}]]''' concept.}}}}<div class='concept-sidebar-summary'>[[definition:summary::{{{definition:summary|}}}]]</div></div><div class='col-md-4 garamond concept-sidebar'><div class='concept-sidebar-author'>''As defined by'' <br/>'''[[definition:author::{{{definition:author|}}}]]'''</div><div class='concept-sidebar-defs'>
* '''[[{{NAMESPACE}}:{{BASEPAGENAME}}|< Go back to original text]]'''

</div>
</div><div class='concept-sidebar-quote'>''"[[definition:quote::{{{definition:quote|}}}]]"''</div>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>[[Category:Definition]]<div style='display:none;'>
{{#setmainimage:{{#ask: [[Concepts:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] | ?concepts:illustration= | format=plainlist | mainlabel=- }}|width=1500}}
{{#setmainimage:{{#ask: [[Concepts:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] | ?concepts:banner= | format=plainlist | mainlabel=- }}|width=1500}}
[[definition:concept::{{{definition:concept|}}}]]
[[definition:concept::{{{definition:concept|}}}]]
</div>{{ DISPLAYTITLE:{{BASEPAGENAME}} }}

</includeonly>

Template:DefinitionTrans

2025-12-16T00:32:57Z

Admin:

<noinclude>
This is the "DefinitionTrans" template.
It should be called in the following format:
<pre>
{{DefinitionTrans
|definition:concept=
|definition:summary=
|definition:author=
|definition:quote=
}}
</pre>
Edit the page to see the template text.
</noinclude><includeonly><div class='col-md-8'>{{highlight|{{#ifeq: {{NAMESPACE}} | Definition | This is a suggested defininition for '''[[{{{definition:concept|}}}|{{#replace: {{{definition:concept|}}} | Concepts: | }}]]''' concept.}}}}<div class='concept-sidebar-summary'>[[definition:summary::{{{definition:summary|}}}]]</div></div><div class='col-md-4 garamond concept-sidebar'><div class='concept-sidebar-author'>''As defined by'' <br/>'''[[definition:author::{{{definition:author|}}}]]'''</div><div class='concept-sidebar-defs'>
* '''[[{{NAMESPACE}}:{{BASEPAGENAME}}|< Go back to original text]]'''

</div>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>[[Category:Definition]]<div style='display:none;'>
{{#setmainimage:{{#ask: [[Concepts:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] | ?concepts:illustration= | format=plainlist | mainlabel=- }}|width=1500}}
{{#setmainimage:{{#ask: [[Concepts:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] | ?concepts:banner= | format=plainlist | mainlabel=- }}|width=1500}}
[[definition:concept::{{{definition:concept|}}}]]
[[definition:concept::{{{definition:concept|}}}]]
</div>{{ DISPLAYTITLE:{{BASEPAGENAME}} }}
</div><div class='concept-sidebar-quote'>''"[[definition:quote::{{{definition:quote|}}}]]"''</div>
</includeonly>

Template:DefinitionTrans

2025-12-16T00:31:41Z

Admin:

<noinclude>
This is the "DefinitionTrans" template.
It should be called in the following format:
<pre>
{{DefinitionTrans
|definition:concept=
|definition:summary=
|definition:author=
|definition:quote=
}}
</pre>
Edit the page to see the template text.
</noinclude><includeonly><div class='col-md-8'>{{highlight|{{#ifeq: {{NAMESPACE}} | Definition | This is a suggested defininition for '''[[{{{definition:concept|}}}|{{#replace: {{{definition:concept|}}} | Concepts: | }}]]''' concept.}}}}<div class='concept-sidebar-summary'>[[definition:summary::{{{definition:summary|}}}]]</div></div><div class='col-md-4 garamond concept-sidebar'><div class='concept-sidebar-author'>''As defined by'' <br/>'''[[definition:author::{{{definition:author|}}}]]'''</div><div class='concept-sidebar-defs'>
* '''[[{{NAMESPACE}}:{{BASEPAGENAME}}|< Go back to original text]]'''
</div><div class='concept-sidebar-quote'>''"[[definition:quote::{{{definition:quote|}}}]]"''</div>
</div>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>[[Category:Definition]]<div style='display:none;'>
{{#setmainimage:{{#ask: [[Concepts:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] | ?concepts:illustration= | format=plainlist | mainlabel=- }}|width=1500}}
{{#setmainimage:{{#ask: [[Concepts:{{ROOTPAGENAME}}]] | ?concepts:banner= | format=plainlist | mainlabel=- }}|width=1500}}
[[definition:concept::{{{definition:concept|}}}]]
[[definition:concept::{{{definition:concept|}}}]]
</div>{{ DISPLAYTITLE:{{BASEPAGENAME}} }}
</div>

</includeonly>

Concepts:Buen Vivir/Alberto Acosta/English

2025-12-16T00:30:34Z

Admin:

{{DefinitionTrans
|definition:concept=Concepts:Buen Vivir
|definition:summary=Good Living, a concept rooted in the worldviews of the indigenous peoples of Abya-Yala, proposes a way of life based on harmony, balance, and relationality between people, communities, other living beings, and nature, prioritizing the reproduction of life over the accumulation of capital. It is not a single model, but a plurality of “good ways of living together” that integrate reciprocity, complementarity, and solidarity, inspired by diverse global community traditions (such as ubuntu, swaraj, or conviviality). Faced with the crisis of “progress” and “development,” it proposes post-developmentalist alternatives that decolonize knowledge, reject extractivism, and build supportive, diverse, and sustainable societies from within communities. It involves rethinking the economy, politics, and culture in community terms, with an ethic of sufficiency, recognizing that transitions must be brought about primarily from below in order to open up a civilizational horizon beyond capitalism.
|definition:author=Alberto Acosta
|definition:quote=Good Living, in essence, has been known and practiced in different periods and places on Mother Earth under different names.
}}{{ DISPLAYTITLE:Good Living }}
== Definition and origins of the concept ==

A principle that inspires Buen Vivir is harmony or, if you prefer, balance, understood not as the opposition of forces, but as the harmonious coexistence of human beings with themselves, in community, between peoples and nations, and with Nature. Good Living constitutes the backbone of community systems: a collective construction based on forms of coexistence that recognize the interdependence of all vital elements. From this perspective, life is possible only through relationships and interactions that link the human community with other beings and with the heart of Nature.

From this arises a central point: we are a human and natural community, a single community of life. More than a concept, Good Living is an everyday experience. Relationality is its essential principle: the world is conceived as a ceaseless flow of interactions where everything is linked to everything else. Giving and receiving, in reciprocity, complementarity, and solidarity, constitutes the basis of Good Living. Working and celebrating are expressions of everyday life that intensify life, insofar as they allow us to share the sacredness of Nature and redistribute well-being.

In this horizon, Good Living establishes an ethic of care for oneself and for all living beings, human and non-human, to guarantee balances that sustain life. In political terms, it prioritizes the reproduction of life over that of capital, through processes of permanent complementarity. Indigenous peoples, with their values, practices, and worldviews, maintained this horizon before and after European colonization, despite invisibility and repression. Today, their proposals fundamentally question “development,” both in practical and conceptual terms, offering other ways of seeing and transforming the world.

=== Associated philosophies and practices ===

The indigenous peoples of Abya Yala are not the only bearers of these visions. Good Living, in essence, has been known and practiced in different periods and places on Mother Earth under different names. It is part of a long search for alternatives to life, forged in human struggles for sustainability and social reciprocity. There are memories, experiences, and community practices around the world that do not respond to the paradigm of “progress.” It is urgent to recover them, especially from the multiple indigenous cultures, without romanticizing them.

These proposals are not identical, although they share common features. We can recognize Zapatista communitarianism in Mexico; African Ubuntu, which conceives of the person as a person only in relation to other beings; Indian Swaraj, as radical ecological democracy; or Japanese Kyosei, based on cooperation. There are also the “brand cooperatives”: Markgenossenschaften of the ancient Germans, which interested Marx, or the principle of self-sufficiency of Gandhian svadeshi. To these are added the conviviality of Ivan Illich and the “happy sobriety” of Pierre Rabhi. The task is to build bridges between these experiences to enrich the horizon of Good Living.

To rescue its true meaning, there is no way to mechanically associate it with “Western well-being.” It involves recovering the knowledge of indigenous peoples and articulating it with other contributions that enable its realization. It is not a single concept, but rather multiple experiences, so it is appropriate to speak of good lives or good coexistence: between people in community, between communities themselves, and between communities and Nature. Good Living synthesizes concrete realities and utopian visions of the future. It is a permanent process of construction and reconstruction, not a simple return to the past or indigenous mysticism.

=== Challenges and opportunities related to its implementation ===

Humanity as a whole is at a crossroads. The promise made more than five centuries ago in the name of “progress,” recycled more than seven decades ago as “development,” has not been fulfilled and will not be fulfilled. For this reason, criticism of development and its matrix, progress, was inevitable and has been transformed into vigorous post-developmentalist proposals.

The visions, values, and practices of Good Living offer tools for building other ways of life and building bridges of respect between different forms of knowledge. This path invites us to decolonize history and overcome common meanings and misleading images of modernity. Breaking free from its real and symbolic straitjackets is now an urgent task. It also involves recovering the past of historically marginalized cultures as a continuity with a future projection, linked to struggles of resistance and re-existence in the face of conquest and colonization. The essential thing is to rescue, without idealization, the collective projects of communities related to life, especially indigenous communities, whose validity shows a “futuristic past.”

This opens up discussions about the place of technology, science, and knowledge, which must be put at the service of life and not the accumulation of capital. It means dismantling development objectives, policies, and instruments that are incapable of delivering the promised well-being. The concepts and indices available are no longer useful: they are artifices that seek to naturalize the civilizational pattern of progress as unique and inevitable, which is a fallacy.

The desire for development has sacrificed the possibility of following our own paths, different from modernity and progress, which are responsible for serious violence against life. The well-being of countries considered “developed” is explained by the logic of externalization: the comfort of a few is sustained by the poverty of many and the destruction of the Earth. Hence the need to dismantle the very concept of development, which has become a pipe dream that governs the lives of a large part of humanity.

At the same time, Good Living cannot be assumed to be a universal recipe or applied mechanically in any context. There are no fixed formulas: these are multiple processes, situated in diverse realities. In this sense, the debate on appropriate indicators arises. But such an exercise would be useless and even harmful if the foundations of Good Living are not first clarified. The risk is to fall into new technicalities or voluntarism. Indicators must emerge from these good coexistences, reflecting the plurality of each experience and avoiding reproducing the conceptual traps of modernity.

It is equally important not to confuse Good Living with “living better.” The latter refers to unlimited and competitive material progress, which encourages permanent accumulation. In order for some to live better, millions have had to live poorly, while nature is devastated. Good Living does not imply repeating this process; rather, it seeks harmony and shared sufficiency. It is not about accumulating more, but about sustaining life balances.

Building Good Living is not easy. Socially and ecologically unsustainable ways of life cannot be repeated. It is about building supportive and sustainable societies within institutions that guarantee a dignified life. Good Living is oriented towards an ethic of sufficiency for the community and not for isolated individuals. This requires structural changes in all dimensions of life: the economy, politics, and culture must be reoriented toward community-based, pluralistic, and diverse practices, away from one-dimensional or monocultural visions.

The state, as it currently exists, does not have the capacity to address fundamental transformations, such as rethinking the world of work and redistributing it toward a society where creative leisure is a right. On the horizon of Buen Vivir, the division between work and leisure dissolves into new forms of dignified, even festive, coexistence. Therefore, transitions must arise from below, in neighborhoods and communities, which are the spaces of effective transformation. From there, not only must pressure be exerted on states, but they must also be structurally transformed.
In short, Buen Vivir is a civilizational proposal that offers a way out of the civilization of capital.

=== Resources and References ===

‘’''‘Key Readings’''‘’

* Chuji, M., Rengifo, G., and Gudynas, E. (2019). “Buen Vivir.” In Kotheri, A., Salleh, A., Escobar, A., Demaría, F., and Acosta, A. A Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary. (111-113). https://radicalecologicaldemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pluriverse-full-printable-version-July-2019.pdf
* Rengifo, G. (Ed.) (2002), Allin Kawsay: Well-being in the Andean Amazonian conception. Lima: Andean Project of Peasant Technologies (PRATEC). https://www.pratec.org/wpress/pdfs-pratec/allin-kawsay.pdf

* Chancosa, Blanca [2014], “Sumak Kawsay from a woman's perspective,” in Hidalgo–Capitán, Antonio Luis; Alejandro Guillén García; Nancy Deleg Guazha [Eds.], Anthology of Ecuadorian Indigenous Thought on Sumak Kawsay, University of Cuenca and University of Huelva.
* Acosta, Alberto [2025], El Buen Vivir Sumak Kawsay, una oportunidad para imaginar otros mundos (Good Living Sumak Kawsay, an opportunity to imagine other worlds), Abya-Yala, Ecuador. Also in Portuguese O bem viver – Uma oportunidade para imaginar otros mundos (Good Living – An opportunity to imagine other worlds), Elefante Editora, Brazil.

‘’''‘Additional Reading’''‘’

* Acosta, Alberto [2021], “Leisure and Work, in Terms of Good Living: Reflections for Building Another Future” in Alberto Acosta, Pascual García, Ronaldo Munck (Eds.), Post-Development – Context, Contradictions, and Futures, Quito, UTPL – Abya-Yala.
* Acosta, Alberto [2020], “El Buen Vivir o una salida del laberinto unidimensional del desarrollo” (Good Living or a Way Out of the One-Dimensional Labyrinth of Development), in Anthropos. Cuadernos de Cultura Crítica y Conocimiento 257, Mexico, Editorial Siglo XXI, BIEN-ESTAR HUMANO/Segunda Parte, October-December. Issue coordinated by: Julio Boltvinik, El Colegio de México.
* Giraldo, Omar Felipe (2014); Utopias in the Age of Survival – An Interpretation of Good Living, Editorial ITACA, Mexico.
* Gudynas, Eduardo and Alberto Acosta [2011], “The Renewal of Criticism of Development and Good Living as an Alternative,” in the journal Utopía y Praxis Latinoamericana, International Journal of Ibero-American Philosophy and Social Theory, Center for Sociological and Anthropological Studies (CESA), Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Zulia–Venezuela, Year 16. No. 53. April–June.
* Gudynas, Eduardo and Alberto Acosta [2011], “El buen vivir o la disolución de la idea del progreso” (Good living or the dissolution of the idea of progress) in Mariano Rojas (Ed.) La medición del progreso y del bienestar – Propuestas desde América Latina (Measuring progress and well-being – Proposals from Latin America), Mexico, Scientific and Technological Advisory Forum of Mexico.
* Gudynas, Eduardo [2014], “Buen Vivir: sobre secuestros, domesticaciones, rescates y alternativas” (Good Living: on kidnappings, domestications, rescues, and alternatives), in Bifurcación del Buen Vivir y el sumak kawsay (The Fork in the Road: Good Living and Sumak Kawsay), Quito, Ediciones SUMAK.
* Illich, Ivan [1973], La convivencialidad (Conviviality), Barcelona, Barral Editores.
* Huanacuni Mamani, Fernando [2010], Living Well / Good Living Philosophy, policies, strategies, and regional experiences, La Paz, Andrés Bello Agreement, International Research Institute, and CAOI.
* Oviedo Freire, Atawallpa (2011); What is sumakawsay – Beyond socialism and capitalism, Quito.
* Pacari, Nina [2014], “Sumak Kawsay so that we may have life,” in Hidalgo–Capitán, Antonio Luis, Alejandro Guillén García, Nancy Deleg Guazha (Eds.) Anthology of Ecuadorian Indigenous Thought on Sumak Kawsay, Spain, University of Cuenca and University of Huelva.
* Rahbi, Pierre [2013], Hacia la sobriedad feliz (Towards Happy Sobriety), Madrid, Errata Natrae.

‘’''‘Other Online Resources’''‘’

* Vivir Bien / Buen Vivir (Living Well), Fundación Solón https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ5AhxMDZyg
* Good Living by Alberto Acosta, for a seminar at Cáritas Diocesana de Caicó, Brazil... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh-6EhOGXVg
* Good Living (Alberto Acosta, in German, with music by Grupo SAL) https://vimeo.com/179033138

* El Buen Vivir. A conversation with Alberto Acosta https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ7wUzUMjxA
* Buen Vivir - Alberto Acosta, Ecuador & Olenka Stefanny Magallanes Prado, Peru (Spanish) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLuZr0HELPY

=== About the Author ===
Alberto Acosta is an economist and activist, former President of the Constituent Assembly of Ecuador.

Concepts:Vernacular Values/Ivan Illich

2025-12-16T00:27:05Z

Admin:

{{Definition
|definition:concept=Concepts:Vernacular Values
|definition:summary= Despite writing an essay titled "Vernacular Values" (1980), Illich never wrote an essay specifically devoted to defining the concept. Rather, he employed it as a conceptual frame within which to situate and connect a series of closely related concerns: the war against subsistence, the taught mother tongue, economic sex, professional dominance. Illich’s role in the popularization and clarification of this concept is crucial, and its use appears across multiple texts of his authorship, such as “The Waning of the Vernacular” (1978), “Vernacular vs. Commodities” (1979), “Vernacular Values and Economics” (1980), “Vernacular Virtue” (1980), “Vernacular Gender” (1982), “Introduction to Vernacular Values” (1983), among others. Some of these texts were published, others remain unpublished, and many of them largely converged in two of his seminal books: Shadow Work (1981) and Gender (1982). In this essay, we limit ourselves to collecting excerpts and quotations from his works, seeking to share, in a faithful and clear manner, Illich’s own inquiry, in the form of a mosaic that brings us closer to his definition of the concept of “vernacular values.”
|definition:author=Ivan Illich
|definition:quote=By speaking about vernacular language and the possibility of its recuperation, I am trying to bring into awareness and discussion the existence of a vernacular mode of being, doing, and making that in a desirable future society might again expand in all aspects of life.
}}
Vernacular comes from an Indo-Germanic root that implies "rootedness" and "abode". Vernaculum as a Latin word was used for whatever was homebred, homespun, homegrown, homemade, as opposed to what was obtained in formal exchange. The child of one's slave and of one's wife, the donkey born of one's own beast, were vernacular beings, as was the staple that came from the garden or the commons. If Karl Polanyi had adverted to this fact, he might have used the term in the meaning accepted by the ancient Romans: sustenance derived from reciprocity patterns imbedded in every aspect of life, as distinguished from sustenance that comes from exchange or from vertical distribution.

Vernacular was used in this general sense from preclassical times down to the technical formulations found in the Codex of Theodosius. It was Varro who picked the term to introduce the same distinction in language. For him, vernacular speech is made up of the words and patterns grown on the speaker's own ground, as opposed to what is grown elsewhere and then transported. And since Varro's authority was widely recognized, his definition stuck. He was the librarian of both Caesar and Augustus and the first Roman to attempt a thorough and critical study of the Latin language. His Lingua Latina was a basic reference book for centuries. Quintillian admired him as the most learned of all Romans. And Quintillian, the Spanish-born drill master for the future senators of Rome, is always proposed to normal students as one of the founders of their profession. But neither can be compared to Nebrija. Both Varro and Quintillian were concerned with shaping the speech of senators and scribes, the speech of the forum. Not so Nebrija; he sought control in the Queen's name over the everyday speech of all her people. Simply, Nebrija proposed to substitute a mother tongue for the vernacular.

Vernacular came into English in the one restricted sense to which Varro had confined its meaning. Just now, I would like to resuscitate some of its old breath. We need a simple, straightforward word to designate the activities of people when they are not motivated by thoughts of exchange, a word that denotes autonomous, non-market related actions through which people satisfy everyday needs -- the actions that by their own true nature escape bureaucratic control, satisfying needs to which, in the very process, they give specific shape. Vernacular seems a good old word for this purpose, and should be acceptable to many contemporaries. There are technical words that designate the satisfaction of needs that economists do not or cannot measure -- social production as opposed to economic production, the generation of use-values as opposed to the production of commodities, household economics as opposed to market economics. But these terms are specialized, tainted with some ideological prejudice, and each, in a different way, badly limps. Each contrasting pair of terms, in its own way, also fosters the confusion that assigns vernacular undertakings to unpaid, standardized, formalized activities. It is this kind of confusion I wish to clarify. We need a simple adjective to name those acts of competence, lust, or concern that we want to defend from measurement or manipulation by Chicago Boys and Socialist Commissars. The term must be broad enough to fit the preparation of food and the shaping of language, childbirth and recreation, without implying either a privatized activity akin to the housework of modern women, a hobby or an irrational and primitive procedure. Such an adjective is not at hand. But "vernacular' might serve. By speaking about vernacular language and the possibility of its recuperation, I am trying to bring into awareness and discussion the existence of a vernacular mode of being, doing, and making that in a desirable future society might again expand in all aspects of life.

-----

The shape of a contemporary society is in fact the result of ongoing choices along these three independent axes. And a polity's credibility today depends on the degree of public participation in each of the three option sets. The beauty of a unique, socially articulated image of each society will, hopefully, become the determining factor of its international impact. Esthetic and ethical example may replace the competition of economic indicators. Actually, no other route is open. A mode of life characterized by austerity, modesty, modern yet hand-made and built on a small scale does not lend itself to propagation through marketing. For the first time in history, poor and rich societies would be effectively placed on equal terms. But for this to become true, the present perception of international north-south relations in terms of development must first be superseded.

-----

The tension and balance between vernacular work and industrial labor -- paid and unpaid -- is the key issue on the third dimension of options, distinct from political right and left and from technical soft and hard. Industrial labor, paid and otherwise exacted, will not disappear. But when development, wage labor and its shadow encroach upon vernacular work the relative priority of one or the other constitutes the issue. We are free to choose between hierarchically managed standardized work that may be paid or unpaid, self-selected or imposed on the one hand and, on the other, we can protect our freedom to choose ever newly invented forms of simple, integrated subsistence actions which have an outcome that is unpredictable to the bureaucrat, unmanageable by hierarchies and oriented to the values shared within a specific community.

If the economy expands, which the soft choice might permit, the shadow economy cannot but grow even faster, and the vernacular domain must further decline. In this case, with rising job scarcity, the unemployed will be integrated into newly organized useful activities in the informal sector. Unemployed men will be given the so-called privilege to engage in those production-fostering types of unpaid activity that, since their emergence as housework in the nineteenth century, have been considerately earmarked for the "weaker sex" -- a designation that was also first used at that time, when industrial serfdom rather than subsistence was defined as the task of women. "Care" exacted for the sake of love will lose its sex-specific character, and in the process become manageable by the state.

-----

Thus the vernacular, in opposition to specialized, learned language -- Latin for the Church, Frankish for the Court -- was as obvious in its variety as the taste of local wines and food, as the shapes of house and hoe, down to the eleventh century. It is at this moment, quite suddenly, that the term mother tongue appears. It shows up in the sermons of some monks from the Abbey of Gorz. The process by which this phenomenon turns vernacular speech into a moral issue can only be touched upon here.

Traditional cultures subsisted on sunshine, which was captured mostly through agriculture. The hoe, the ditch, the yoke, were basic means to harness the sun. Large sails or waterwheels were known, but rare. These cultures that lived mostly on the sun subsisted basically on vernacular values. In such societies, tools were essentially the prolongation of arms, fingers, and legs. There was no need for the production of power in centralized plants and its distant distribution to clients. Equally, in these essentially sun-powered cultures, there was no need for language production. Language was drawn by each one from the cultural environment, learned from the encounter with people whom the learner could smell and touch, love or hate. The vernacular spread just as most things and services were shared, namely, by multiple forms of mutual reciprocity, rather than clientage to the appointed teacher or professional. Just as fuel was not delivered, so the vernacular was never taught. Taught tongues did exist, but they were rare, as rare as sails and sills. In most cultures, we know that speech resulted from conversation embedded in everyday life, from listening to fights and lullabies, gossip, stories, and dreams. Even today, the majority of people in poor countries learn all their language skills without any paid tutorship, without any attempt whatsoever to teach them how to speak. And they learn to speak in a way that nowhere compares with the self-conscious, self-important, colorless mumbling that, after a long stay in villages in South America and Southeast Asia, always shocks me when I visit an American college. I feel sorrow for those students whom education has made tone deaf; they have lost the faculty for hearing the difference between the dessicated utterance of standard television English and the living speech of the unschooled. What else can I expect, though, from people who are not brought up at a mother's breast, but on formula? On canned milk, if they are from poor families, and on a brew prepared under the nose of Ralph Nader if they are born among the enlightened? For people trained to choose between packaged formulas, mother's breast appears as just one more option. And in the same way, for people who were intentionally taught to listen and to speak, untutored vernacular seems just like another, albeit less developed, model among many.

== References ==
...

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:26:41Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>
ul.mw-prefixindex-list {
margin-left: 3.5ex;
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
ul.mw-prefixindex-list > li {
transform: rotate(-180deg);
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:26:13Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>
.mw-prefixindex-list {
margin-left: 3.5ex;
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
.mw-prefixindex-list > li {
transform: rotate(-180deg);
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:24:50Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>

.mw-prefixindex-list {
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
.mw-prefixindex-list > li {
transform: rotate(-180deg);
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:23:40Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>

ul {
transform: rotate(180deg);
}
ul > li {
transform: rotate(-180deg);
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values/Carlos Tornel

2025-12-16T00:23:01Z

Admin: Created page with "{{Definition |definition:concept=Concepts:Vernacular Values |definition:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by empha..."

{{Definition
|definition:concept=Concepts:Vernacular Values
|definition:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|definition:author=Carlos Tornel
|definition:quote=Every attempt to replace vernacular values with standardized commodities has not led to greater equity but has instead deepened a hierarchical modernization of poverty
}}

== Vernacular Values ==

In a 1980 essay, Ivan Illich introduced the concept of vernacular values to describe "unpaid activities essential for providing a livelihood, but which are entirely resistant to analysis using concepts developed in formal economics." The term "vernacular" refers to what is homegrown, homemade, or self-produced, as opposed to what is commercially exchanged. The vernacular domain, therefore, encompasses autonomous, non-market actions through which people meet their everyday needs—actions that, by their very nature, escape bureaucratic control. These are activities undertaken for their own sake, not subordinated to the economic system through what Illich calls "shadow work." In this sense, vernacular practices offer a way to resist commodification and economic dependency.

Illich observes a clear pattern: as the economy expands, so does shadow work—a process that ensnares individuals within the modern system of needs, condemning them to a form of "modernized poverty." This process, he argues, wages a "war on subsistence" by eroding the vernacular domain, forcing people into structures of dependency that strip them of the ability to meet their own needs autonomously. Illich’s work was groundbreaking in illustrating how the economic mentality of scarcity has proliferated, shaping modern individuals into what he termed "homo economicus." The rapid industrialization that transcended both capitalist and socialist paradigms created an inescapable structure of dependency. While similar to Marx’s concept of primitive accumulation—where violent dispossession of the means of production makes people reliant on wage labor—Illich’s analysis diverges. Marxist thinkers like Rosa Luxemburg argued that primitive accumulation was an ongoing process rather than a historical singularity. Illich, however, contends that technological expansion and increasing reliance on experts to fulfill basic needs have resulted in a level of alienation beyond mere dispossession. Not only are people excluded from production, but they are also stripped of any autonomous form of thought, action, and subsistence.

This alienation results in what Illich calls "radical monopolies," where people can no longer meet their needs independently: they must learn through institutionalized schooling, heal through clinics and hospitals, move through motorized transportation, and inhabit spaces only through government-provided housing and services. This monopolization of essential human activities consolidates dependence on economic and state structures, further eroding the vernacular domain. Illich’s analysis also sheds light on how economic mentality has been instrumental in reformulating the colonial enterprise. Modernity has restructured notions of need, development, and otherness in a way that perpetuates colonial domination. He highlights the West’s universalizing mission, arguing that "without the universal mission to the world outside, what we call the West would not have come to be." This civilizing mission, particularly prominent in the development era, operates by imposing a framework of scarcity upon non-Western societies. People must be "improved"—made ‘developed’, ‘civilized’, ‘articulate’—through integration into the economic logic of modernity.

The universalizing principles of coloniality are deeply embedded in Illich’s conception of scarcity and its war against subsistence and the vernacular domain, particularly in relation to language. He traces modern colonial thought to the imposition of universal languages –through the obscure character or Elio Antonio de Nebrija, the first proponent of a universalized language which entails a simultaneous repression of vernacular expressions while creating a need for knowledge to be taught and not learned. The drive to eliminate "waste"—whether wasted time, inefficiency, or diversity—underpins the capitalist political economy and serves as a mechanism of colonial control. Illich’s articulation of the "war against subsistence" is tied to capitalism’s construction of scarcity, which assigns value to commodities while simultaneously eroding alternative ways of knowing, doing, and being. His argument, now more widely acknowledged within heterodox Marxism, suggests that capitalism not only creates unrecognized forms of labor (shadow work, such as unpaid domestic labor) but also disvalues or actively destroys other forms of valuations. The processes of emancipation and recognition into the capitalist system paradoxically increase efficiency-driven exploitation while severing the connections between unpaid labor and subsistence. Said simply, people are forced into a condition of modernized poverty, where they are left with no access to the means of subsistence (or marginally) and instead rely on any dependent forms of assistance to subsist. In seeking equality within this system, people become further entrenched in economic dependence, requiring assistance, development, and progress—even when these do not benefit them directly.

Following Karl Polanyi’s analysis in The Great Transformation (1944), Illich extends the argument that markets have not only become disembedded from nature and social relations but have also universalized the laws of scarcity. This process has eroded vernacular values in favor of market society, further entrenching dependency on economic structures. Thus, vernacular values represent a counterforce to the expansion of economic rationality and its accompanying shadow work. Illich suggests that the goal should not be to demand more rights, seek inclusion within the economic system, or gain recognition from the state. Instead, the challenge is to reject a system that defines subjectivity solely through participation in its structures. Rather than striving for wage labor, class inclusion, or state recognition, the vernacular domain offers a radical alternative by fostering autonomy and self-sufficiency beyond market dependencies.

=== Defending, reclaiming or reweaving vernacular values ===

As the formal economy expands, it simultaneously increases the burden of shadow work, fostering dependency while eroding the vernacular domain. A radical rejection of the imposed logic of scarcity would enable the rediscovery of vernacular values in spaces where they have been subsumed by economic and bureaucratic structures. This shift would not simply mean resisting commodification but actively reconstructing complementary relationships between convivial, autonomous practices and necessary economic exchanges. Reclaiming these proportions requires the intentional creation of spaces where self-sufficiency and collective autonomy take precedence over imposed market dependencies, allowing communities to define their own means of subsistence beyond the dictates of economic rationality.

This transformation necessitates a redefinition of the relationship between people and tools, centering on homo habilis rather than homo industrialis. The assumption that certain economic structures are natural or inevitable must be rejected, as only machines can communicate without vernacular roots. Vernacular values hold the potential to disrupt radical monopolies. They encourage the creation of autonomous praxis and a subversive rejection of dominant ways of seeing the world. The vernacular domain is inherently pluralistic, resisting the reduction of life to professionalized, commodified services. In this realm, tools function as extensions of the body, enabling rather than constraining agency. More importantly, vernacular values emphasize mutual reciprocity, complementary and sufficiency over clientelism, fostering relationships based on shared responsibility rather than dependency on service-providing professionals. Ultimately, Illich’s vision of the vernacular domain calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic logic—a return to autonomous, communal forms of living that resist the totalizing grip of capitalism, the state, and technocratic monopolies.

The Community of Acapatzingo in Mexico City, part of the Francisco Villa Popular Organisation of the Independent Left (OPFVII) is an example of the reformulation of vernacular values. An organization that emerged from the urban periphery, the story of Los Panchos underscores the importance of struggle in the face of imposed precarity as a way to recover and reclaim dignity from the urban margins. The 596 families in the eight hectares that make up the Acapatzingo housing community have developed a form of self-management based on voluntary community work. This process involves an organization in brigades by zones of the community and working in commissions that cover almost all areas of daily life – from health, education, vigilance, food, communication and sports, among others. The conformation of these commissions operates through general councils of representatives, which all members agree to participate in by subscribing to a series of organizational principles such as a) the centrality of democracy: a process that reproduces the Zapatista model of commanding by obeying (mandar obedeciendo); b) the practice of criticism and self-criticism —to promote equality and the constant improvement of the collective process — and; c) collective leadership and the division of community work as a key point for self-management and the maintenance of autonomy.

This organizational process has resulted in the construction of collective spaces for children, senior citizens and youth, water collection, filtration and purification systems, collective management of electricity as well as the development of three greenhouses, composting systems and fruit trees that produce food, a community radio station, spaces for procuring collective health and care, as well as a system of education up to secondary school. The process of autonomy has then taken shape as the recovery of space and transforming it into a place through the struggle for dignity and a redefinition of a good life. For thinkers such as Illich, Jean Robert or Heni Lefebvre, this process is understood as a way of recovering the right to inhabit: the possibility of self-managing a place, through a struggle in resistance to the state, progressively eliminating its ‘necessity’ while producing a radically democratic form of community management, reaffirming human dignity and reformulating its relationship with the environment.

As Illich argues, every attempt to replace vernacular values with standardized commodities has not led to greater equity but has instead deepened a hierarchical modernization of poverty. In this framework, poverty is no longer defined by lack of market access but by the loss of autonomy—the most marginalized are not simply those excluded from economic participation but those whose vernacular domain has been most restricted, leaving them unable to find fulfillment even in the few non-market activities that remain. The Acapatzingo experience is thus a project that arises from the possibility of recovering vernacular values against the radical monopoly of institutions. The possibility of learning, healing, eating and dwelling implies a refusal of education, health, food or housing. As the community’s motto states: housing projects not only imply the possibility of self-managing the construction process, but also implies a life project in itself. The process involves breaking with the radical monopoly of institutions to rebuild community networks that give people back their capacity to trust in internal, local processes and to dare to imagine and inhabit other possible worlds beyond the state and the market. The possibility of conviviality implies a possibility of regaining control of tools, freeing oneself from the radical dependence that defines homo economicus or the needy man and, in turn, recognizing the definition of a common roof by establishing socially imposed limits.

[[File:Vernacular Values_Tornel_1.jpg|thumb|500px|]]

=== References ===

* Illich, I. (1980). Vernacular Values. Philosophica 26. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/philosophica.82612
* Ferraris, D. Linslata, L., Marcos, S., Alvanado, P. (2024). Pensar con los pies. Diálogos con Jean Robert. México: Bajo Tierra Ediciones.
* Esteva, G. (2024). La fuerza social de la esperanza. México: Clacso.
* Tornel, C. (2024). The experience of Los Panchos and the autonomous community of Acapatzingo in Mexico City. Radical Ecological Democracy: https://radicalecologicaldemocracy.org/the-experience-of-los-panchos-and-the-autonomous-community-of-acapatzingo-in-mexico-city/

'''''Further exploration'''''

* The Energy of the People’s (Documentary). La Sandía Digital (2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXlA-2S_uAs
* El Género Vernaculo, una categoría heurística (Conference). El Colegio de Tlaxcala (2021). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_GT_J6Ce3w&t=1918s
* Discussion forum on Illich and the Vernacular Domain. (Forum). David Bollier: https://www.bollier.org/ivan-illich-and-enclosure-vernacular-domains
* Intervention: Intervention – "Vernacular Values: Remembering Ivan Illich" by Andy Merrifield: https://antipodeonline.org/2015/06/26/vernacular-values/
* Koyaanisqatsi - Life out of Balance. (1983). (Film) Godfrey Reggio (Dir.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4MXPIpj5sA

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:22:11Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>

li {
/* Por defecto tienen 'order: 0' */
}

li:nth-child(1) {
order: 2; /* El primero ahora va al final (o después de los que tengan 1) */
}

li:nth-child(2) {
order: 1; /* El segundo ahora va primero */
}

</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:21:58Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>
ul {
display: flex;
}

li {
/* Por defecto tienen 'order: 0' */
}

li:nth-child(1) {
order: 2; /* El primero ahora va al final (o después de los que tengan 1) */
}

li:nth-child(2) {
order: 1; /* El segundo ahora va primero */
}

</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:21:18Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>
ul {
display: flex;
flex-direction: row; /* O column para apilar */
}

li {
/* Por defecto tienen 'order: 0' */
}

li:nth-child(1) {
order: 2; /* El primero ahora va al final (o después de los que tengan 1) */
}

li:nth-child(2) {
order: 1; /* El segundo ahora va primero */
}

</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-16T00:20:44Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

<html>
<style>
ul {
display: flex;
flex-direction: row; /* O column para apilar */
}

li {
/* Por defecto tienen 'order: 0' */
}

li:nth-child(1) {
order: 2; /* El primero ahora va al final (o después de los que tengan 1) */
}

li:nth-child(2) {
order: 1; /* El segundo ahora va primero */
}

/* Para revertir completamente el orden: */
ul.revertido {
flex-direction: row-reverse; /* Invierte el orden en la dirección actual */
}
</style>
</html>

Concepts:Vernacular Values/Ivan Illich

2025-12-16T00:19:20Z

Admin:

{{Definition
|definition:concept=Concepts:Vernacular Values
|definition:summary= Despite writing an essay titled "Vernacular Values"(1980), Illich never wrote an essay specifically devoted to defining the concept. Rather, he employed it as a conceptual frame within which to situate and connect a series of closely related concerns: the war against subsistence, the taught mother tongue, economic sex, professional dominance. Illich’s role in the popularization and clarification of this concept is crucial, and its use appears across multiple texts of his authorship, such as “The Waning of the Vernacular” (1978), “Vernacular vs. Commodities” (1979), “Vernacular Values and Economics” (1980), “Vernacular Virtue” (1980), “Vernacular Gender” (1982), “Introduction to Vernacular Values” (1983), among others. Some of these texts were published, others remain unpublished, and many of them largely converged in two of his seminal books: Shadow Work (1981) and Gender (1982). In this essay, we limit ourselves to collecting excerpts and quotations from his works, seeking to share, in a faithful and clear manner, Illich’s own inquiry, in the form of a mosaic that brings us closer to his definition of the concept of “vernacular values.”
|definition:author=Ivan Illich
|definition:quote=By speaking about vernacular language and the possibility of its recuperation, I am trying to bring into awareness and discussion the existence of a vernacular mode of being, doing, and making that in a desirable future society might again expand in all aspects of life.
}}
Vernacular comes from an Indo-Germanic root that implies "rootedness" and "abode". Vernaculum as a Latin word was used for whatever was homebred, homespun, homegrown, homemade, as opposed to what was obtained in formal exchange. The child of one's slave and of one's wife, the donkey born of one's own beast, were vernacular beings, as was the staple that came from the garden or the commons. If Karl Polanyi had adverted to this fact, he might have used the term in the meaning accepted by the ancient Romans: sustenance derived from reciprocity patterns imbedded in every aspect of life, as distinguished from sustenance that comes from exchange or from vertical distribution.

Vernacular was used in this general sense from preclassical times down to the technical formulations found in the Codex of Theodosius. It was Varro who picked the term to introduce the same distinction in language. For him, vernacular speech is made up of the words and patterns grown on the speaker's own ground, as opposed to what is grown elsewhere and then transported. And since Varro's authority was widely recognized, his definition stuck. He was the librarian of both Caesar and Augustus and the first Roman to attempt a thorough and critical study of the Latin language. His Lingua Latina was a basic reference book for centuries. Quintillian admired him as the most learned of all Romans. And Quintillian, the Spanish-born drill master for the future senators of Rome, is always proposed to normal students as one of the founders of their profession. But neither can be compared to Nebrija. Both Varro and Quintillian were concerned with shaping the speech of senators and scribes, the speech of the forum. Not so Nebrija; he sought control in the Queen's name over the everyday speech of all her people. Simply, Nebrija proposed to substitute a mother tongue for the vernacular.

Vernacular came into English in the one restricted sense to which Varro had confined its meaning. Just now, I would like to resuscitate some of its old breath. We need a simple, straightforward word to designate the activities of people when they are not motivated by thoughts of exchange, a word that denotes autonomous, non-market related actions through which people satisfy everyday needs -- the actions that by their own true nature escape bureaucratic control, satisfying needs to which, in the very process, they give specific shape. Vernacular seems a good old word for this purpose, and should be acceptable to many contemporaries. There are technical words that designate the satisfaction of needs that economists do not or cannot measure -- social production as opposed to economic production, the generation of use-values as opposed to the production of commodities, household economics as opposed to market economics. But these terms are specialized, tainted with some ideological prejudice, and each, in a different way, badly limps. Each contrasting pair of terms, in its own way, also fosters the confusion that assigns vernacular undertakings to unpaid, standardized, formalized activities. It is this kind of confusion I wish to clarify. We need a simple adjective to name those acts of competence, lust, or concern that we want to defend from measurement or manipulation by Chicago Boys and Socialist Commissars. The term must be broad enough to fit the preparation of food and the shaping of language, childbirth and recreation, without implying either a privatized activity akin to the housework of modern women, a hobby or an irrational and primitive procedure. Such an adjective is not at hand. But "vernacular' might serve. By speaking about vernacular language and the possibility of its recuperation, I am trying to bring into awareness and discussion the existence of a vernacular mode of being, doing, and making that in a desirable future society might again expand in all aspects of life.

-----

The shape of a contemporary society is in fact the result of ongoing choices along these three independent axes. And a polity's credibility today depends on the degree of public participation in each of the three option sets. The beauty of a unique, socially articulated image of each society will, hopefully, become the determining factor of its international impact. Esthetic and ethical example may replace the competition of economic indicators. Actually, no other route is open. A mode of life characterized by austerity, modesty, modern yet hand-made and built on a small scale does not lend itself to propagation through marketing. For the first time in history, poor and rich societies would be effectively placed on equal terms. But for this to become true, the present perception of international north-south relations in terms of development must first be superseded.

-----

The tension and balance between vernacular work and industrial labor -- paid and unpaid -- is the key issue on the third dimension of options, distinct from political right and left and from technical soft and hard. Industrial labor, paid and otherwise exacted, will not disappear. But when development, wage labor and its shadow encroach upon vernacular work the relative priority of one or the other constitutes the issue. We are free to choose between hierarchically managed standardized work that may be paid or unpaid, self-selected or imposed on the one hand and, on the other, we can protect our freedom to choose ever newly invented forms of simple, integrated subsistence actions which have an outcome that is unpredictable to the bureaucrat, unmanageable by hierarchies and oriented to the values shared within a specific community.

If the economy expands, which the soft choice might permit, the shadow economy cannot but grow even faster, and the vernacular domain must further decline. In this case, with rising job scarcity, the unemployed will be integrated into newly organized useful activities in the informal sector. Unemployed men will be given the so-called privilege to engage in those production-fostering types of unpaid activity that, since their emergence as housework in the nineteenth century, have been considerately earmarked for the "weaker sex" -- a designation that was also first used at that time, when industrial serfdom rather than subsistence was defined as the task of women. "Care" exacted for the sake of love will lose its sex-specific character, and in the process become manageable by the state.

-----

Thus the vernacular, in opposition to specialized, learned language -- Latin for the Church, Frankish for the Court -- was as obvious in its variety as the taste of local wines and food, as the shapes of house and hoe, down to the eleventh century. It is at this moment, quite suddenly, that the term mother tongue appears. It shows up in the sermons of some monks from the Abbey of Gorz. The process by which this phenomenon turns vernacular speech into a moral issue can only be touched upon here.

Traditional cultures subsisted on sunshine, which was captured mostly through agriculture. The hoe, the ditch, the yoke, were basic means to harness the sun. Large sails or waterwheels were known, but rare. These cultures that lived mostly on the sun subsisted basically on vernacular values. In such societies, tools were essentially the prolongation of arms, fingers, and legs. There was no need for the production of power in centralized plants and its distant distribution to clients. Equally, in these essentially sun-powered cultures, there was no need for language production. Language was drawn by each one from the cultural environment, learned from the encounter with people whom the learner could smell and touch, love or hate. The vernacular spread just as most things and services were shared, namely, by multiple forms of mutual reciprocity, rather than clientage to the appointed teacher or professional. Just as fuel was not delivered, so the vernacular was never taught. Taught tongues did exist, but they were rare, as rare as sails and sills. In most cultures, we know that speech resulted from conversation embedded in everyday life, from listening to fights and lullabies, gossip, stories, and dreams. Even today, the majority of people in poor countries learn all their language skills without any paid tutorship, without any attempt whatsoever to teach them how to speak. And they learn to speak in a way that nowhere compares with the self-conscious, self-important, colorless mumbling that, after a long stay in villages in South America and Southeast Asia, always shocks me when I visit an American college. I feel sorrow for those students whom education has made tone deaf; they have lost the faculty for hearing the difference between the dessicated utterance of standard television English and the living speech of the unschooled. What else can I expect, though, from people who are not brought up at a mother's breast, but on formula? On canned milk, if they are from poor families, and on a brew prepared under the nose of Ralph Nader if they are born among the enlightened? For people trained to choose between packaged formulas, mother's breast appears as just one more option. And in the same way, for people who were intentionally taught to listen and to speak, untutored vernacular seems just like another, albeit less developed, model among many.

== References ==
...

Concepts:Vernacular Values/Ivan Illich

2025-12-16T00:11:23Z

Admin: Created page with "{{Definition |definition:concept=Concepts:Vernacular Values |definition:summary=Ivan Illich never wrote an essay devoted exclusively to defining the concept of “vernacular v..."

{{Definition
|definition:concept=Concepts:Vernacular Values
|definition:summary=Ivan Illich never wrote an essay devoted exclusively to defining the concept of “vernacular values.” Rather, he employed it as a conceptual frame within which to situate and connect a series of closely related concerns: the war against subsistence, the taught mother tongue, economic sex, professional dominance. Illich’s role in the popularization and clarification of this concept is crucial, and its use appears across multiple texts of his authorship, such as “The Waning of the Vernacular” (1978), “Vernacular vs. Commodities” (1979), “Vernacular Values and Economics” (1980), “Vernacular Values” (1980), “Vernacular Virtue” (1980), “Vernacular Gender” (1982), “Introduction to Vernacular Values” (1983), among others. Some of these texts were published, others remain unpublished, and many of them largely converged in two of his seminal books: Shadow Work (1981) and Gender (1982). In this essay, we limit ourselves to collecting excerpts and quotations from his works, seeking to share, in a faithful and clear manner, Illich’s own inquiry, in the form of a mosaic that brings us closer to his definition of the concept of “vernacular values.”
|definition:author=Ivan Illich
|definition:quote=By speaking about vernacular language and the possibility of its recuperation, I am trying to bring into awareness and discussion the existence of a vernacular mode of being, doing, and making that in a desirable future society might again expand in all aspects of life.
}}
Vernacular comes from an Indo-Germanic root that implies "rootedness" and "abode". Vernaculum as a Latin word was used for whatever was homebred, homespun, homegrown, homemade, as opposed to what was obtained in formal exchange. The child of one's slave and of one's wife, the donkey born of one's own beast, were vernacular beings, as was the staple that came from the garden or the commons. If Karl Polanyi had adverted to this fact, he might have used the term in the meaning accepted by the ancient Romans: sustenance derived from reciprocity patterns imbedded in every aspect of life, as distinguished from sustenance that comes from exchange or from vertical distribution.

Vernacular was used in this general sense from preclassical times down to the technical formulations found in the Codex of Theodosius. It was Varro who picked the term to introduce the same distinction in language. For him, vernacular speech is made up of the words and patterns grown on the speaker's own ground, as opposed to what is grown elsewhere and then transported. And since Varro's authority was widely recognized, his definition stuck. He was the librarian of both Caesar and Augustus and the first Roman to attempt a thorough and critical study of the Latin language. His Lingua Latina was a basic reference book for centuries. Quintillian admired him as the most learned of all Romans. And Quintillian, the Spanish-born drill master for the future senators of Rome, is always proposed to normal students as one of the founders of their profession. But neither can be compared to Nebrija. Both Varro and Quintillian were concerned with shaping the speech of senators and scribes, the speech of the forum. Not so Nebrija; he sought control in the Queen's name over the everyday speech of all her people. Simply, Nebrija proposed to substitute a mother tongue for the vernacular.

Vernacular came into English in the one restricted sense to which Varro had confined its meaning. Just now, I would like to resuscitate some of its old breath. We need a simple, straightforward word to designate the activities of people when they are not motivated by thoughts of exchange, a word that denotes autonomous, non-market related actions through which people satisfy everyday needs -- the actions that by their own true nature escape bureaucratic control, satisfying needs to which, in the very process, they give specific shape. Vernacular seems a good old word for this purpose, and should be acceptable to many contemporaries. There are technical words that designate the satisfaction of needs that economists do not or cannot measure -- social production as opposed to economic production, the generation of use-values as opposed to the production of commodities, household economics as opposed to market economics. But these terms are specialized, tainted with some ideological prejudice, and each, in a different way, badly limps. Each contrasting pair of terms, in its own way, also fosters the confusion that assigns vernacular undertakings to unpaid, standardized, formalized activities. It is this kind of confusion I wish to clarify. We need a simple adjective to name those acts of competence, lust, or concern that we want to defend from measurement or manipulation by Chicago Boys and Socialist Commissars. The term must be broad enough to fit the preparation of food and the shaping of language, childbirth and recreation, without implying either a privatized activity akin to the housework of modern women, a hobby or an irrational and primitive procedure. Such an adjective is not at hand. But "vernacular' might serve. By speaking about vernacular language and the possibility of its recuperation, I am trying to bring into awareness and discussion the existence of a vernacular mode of being, doing, and making that in a desirable future society might again expand in all aspects of life.

-----

The shape of a contemporary society is in fact the result of ongoing choices along these three independent axes. And a polity's credibility today depends on the degree of public participation in each of the three option sets. The beauty of a unique, socially articulated image of each society will, hopefully, become the determining factor of its international impact. Esthetic and ethical example may replace the competition of economic indicators. Actually, no other route is open. A mode of life characterized by austerity, modesty, modern yet hand-made and built on a small scale does not lend itself to propagation through marketing. For the first time in history, poor and rich societies would be effectively placed on equal terms. But for this to become true, the present perception of international north-south relations in terms of development must first be superseded.

-----

The tension and balance between vernacular work and industrial labor -- paid and unpaid -- is the key issue on the third dimension of options, distinct from political right and left and from technical soft and hard. Industrial labor, paid and otherwise exacted, will not disappear. But when development, wage labor and its shadow encroach upon vernacular work the relative priority of one or the other constitutes the issue. We are free to choose between hierarchically managed standardized work that may be paid or unpaid, self-selected or imposed on the one hand and, on the other, we can protect our freedom to choose ever newly invented forms of simple, integrated subsistence actions which have an outcome that is unpredictable to the bureaucrat, unmanageable by hierarchies and oriented to the values shared within a specific community.

If the economy expands, which the soft choice might permit, the shadow economy cannot but grow even faster, and the vernacular domain must further decline. In this case, with rising job scarcity, the unemployed will be integrated into newly organized useful activities in the informal sector. Unemployed men will be given the so-called privilege to engage in those production-fostering types of unpaid activity that, since their emergence as housework in the nineteenth century, have been considerately earmarked for the "weaker sex" -- a designation that was also first used at that time, when industrial serfdom rather than subsistence was defined as the task of women. "Care" exacted for the sake of love will lose its sex-specific character, and in the process become manageable by the state.

-----

Thus the vernacular, in opposition to specialized, learned language -- Latin for the Church, Frankish for the Court -- was as obvious in its variety as the taste of local wines and food, as the shapes of house and hoe, down to the eleventh century. It is at this moment, quite suddenly, that the term mother tongue appears. It shows up in the sermons of some monks from the Abbey of Gorz. The process by which this phenomenon turns vernacular speech into a moral issue can only be touched upon here.

Traditional cultures subsisted on sunshine, which was captured mostly through agriculture. The hoe, the ditch, the yoke, were basic means to harness the sun. Large sails or waterwheels were known, but rare. These cultures that lived mostly on the sun subsisted basically on vernacular values. In such societies, tools were essentially the prolongation of arms, fingers, and legs. There was no need for the production of power in centralized plants and its distant distribution to clients. Equally, in these essentially sun-powered cultures, there was no need for language production. Language was drawn by each one from the cultural environment, learned from the encounter with people whom the learner could smell and touch, love or hate. The vernacular spread just as most things and services were shared, namely, by multiple forms of mutual reciprocity, rather than clientage to the appointed teacher or professional. Just as fuel was not delivered, so the vernacular was never taught. Taught tongues did exist, but they were rare, as rare as sails and sills. In most cultures, we know that speech resulted from conversation embedded in everyday life, from listening to fights and lullabies, gossip, stories, and dreams. Even today, the majority of people in poor countries learn all their language skills without any paid tutorship, without any attempt whatsoever to teach them how to speak. And they learn to speak in a way that nowhere compares with the self-conscious, self-important, colorless mumbling that, after a long stay in villages in South America and Southeast Asia, always shocks me when I visit an American college. I feel sorrow for those students whom education has made tone deaf; they have lost the faculty for hearing the difference between the dessicated utterance of standard television English and the living speech of the unschooled. What else can I expect, though, from people who are not brought up at a mother's breast, but on formula? On canned milk, if they are from poor families, and on a brew prepared under the nose of Ralph Nader if they are born among the enlightened? For people trained to choose between packaged formulas, mother's breast appears as just one more option. And in the same way, for people who were intentionally taught to listen and to speak, untutored vernacular seems just like another, albeit less developed, model among many.

== References ==
...

File:Concepts-illustration-Eco-Territorial Internationalism.png

2025-12-15T23:35:54Z

Admin: Admin uploaded a new version of File:Concepts-illustration-Eco-Territorial Internationalism.png

Concepts:Eco-Territorial Internationalism

2025-12-15T23:34:22Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=The term "ecoterritorial internationalism" breaks down as: eco- (from Greek "oikos" for home/dwelling) referring to ecological systems, territorial from Latin "territorium" indicating land or region, and internationalism, coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1780 from Latin inter- ("between") + national, meaning a political principle promoting cooperation between nations. Therefore, "ecoterritorial internationalism" refers to a political or social philosophy advocating for cross-border cooperation focused on ecological and land-based issues.
|concepts:description=Eco-: Derived from the Greek word "oikos" (οἶκος), meaning "house," "home," or "dwelling," it refers to ecological systems, the environment, and the relationship between organisms and their surroundings.
Territorial: From the Latin "territorium," which refers to land, a district, or a region. In this context, it refers to specific geographic areas and their land-based features.
Internationalism: Coined by Jeremy Bentham around 1780, this term combines Latin inter- ("between") and national. It describes a political principle that promotes cooperation and understanding between different nations, moving beyond national interests to address shared concerns.
When combined, "ecoterritorial internationalism" suggests a movement or doctrine that seeks to address ecological and territorial issues on an international scale, emphasizing cooperation between different regions and nations to manage shared environmental resources and land-based concerns.
|concepts:summary=Eco-territorial internationalism is a concept and a praxis that emerges from the convergence of social, ecological, and territorial struggles across borders. It articulates experiences of resistance and transformation—such as democratic energy, agroecology, food sovereignty, workers’ control, and housing justice— by connecting local roots to a global horizon of systemic change. These are not isolated or merely “local” efforts; they embody a global sense of place and foster transnational solidarities grounded in justice, autonomy, and care. In the face of green colonialism, ecological imperialism, and systemic polycrises, this new internationalism reclaims the radical legacies of anti-imperialism while expanding the political imagination toward just transitions and ecological expressions of sovereignty. It challenges the dominant models of extractivist development and resists greenwashed capitalist transitions that reproduce sacrifice zones, particularly in the Global South. Eco-territorial internationalism does not abandon the state but goes beyond statist approaches, promoting multiscalar articulations and a biocentric politics of scale—from the body, to rivers and ecosystems. It is already in motion, through networks that articulate grassroots movements and resistances confronting the root causes of the crisis and shaping pluriversal futures.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Autonomy, Radical Ecological Democracy, Zonas de Sacrificio, Eutopía, Democratic Confederalism, Social Ecology
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Environemntal Racism, Futures, Re-Existence, Solidarity, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Eco-Territorial Internationalism.png
|concepts:illustrationauthor=Urvi Shah
|concepts:country=BR
|concepts:region=Global South
|concepts:geolocation=-14.235, -51.92528
}}
[[Category:FeaturedConcepts]]

Concepts:Autonomy

2025-12-15T23:15:41Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=autonomy - ɔːˈtɒnəmi
Noun (plural autonomies) mass noun
:1 the right or condition of self-government.
:: count noun a self-governing country or region.
:: freedom from external control or influence;
:2 (in Kantian moral philosophy) the capacity of an agent to act in accordance with objective morality rather than under the influence of desires.
|concepts:description='''Autonomy embodies a radical break from hierarchical systems of power and control, emphasizing self-determination and communal governance.'''
|concepts:summary=Tracing its diverse meanings and practices across history and political movements, rather than a single notion, autonomy emerges as plural — encompassing struggles that challenge capitalism, industrialism, western modernity, and patriarchy. Distinguishing autonomy from individualist libertarianism and state-centric socialism, this entry focuses on autonomic movements that prioritize collective self-governance and radical democracy. Drawing from Indigenous, feminist, and anti-capitalist struggles, these movements go beyond formal democracy, seeking to dismantle the state while constructing grassroots power based on the principles of Mandar Obedeciendo. Autonomy also challenges economic society’s premise of scarcity, replacing it with sufficiency, and disassociates from western modernity’s values, embracing pluralism and relational understandings of personhood. Feminist autonomies center care, dignity, and life itself. Highlighting examples such as the Zapatistas and Mexico’s National Indigenous Congress, the essay presents autonomy as a global, ongoing process of reimagining social, political, and economic life from the ground up.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes
|concepts:relations=Swaraj, Radical Ecological Democracy, Buen Vivir, Relationality
|concepts:categories=Care, Decentralization, Re-Existence, Self Governance, Solidarity, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=24.01474, -104.12367
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
}}

Concepts:Eco-Territorial Internationalism

2025-12-15T23:14:45Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=The term "ecoterritorial internationalism" breaks down as: eco- (from Greek "oikos" for home/dwelling) referring to ecological systems, territorial from Latin "territorium" indicating land or region, and internationalism, coined by Jeremy Bentham in 1780 from Latin inter- ("between") + national, meaning a political principle promoting cooperation between nations. Therefore, "ecoterritorial internationalism" refers to a political or social philosophy advocating for cross-border cooperation focused on ecological and land-based issues.
|concepts:description=Eco-: Derived from the Greek word "oikos" (οἶκος), meaning "house," "home," or "dwelling," it refers to ecological systems, the environment, and the relationship between organisms and their surroundings.
Territorial: From the Latin "territorium," which refers to land, a district, or a region. In this context, it refers to specific geographic areas and their land-based features.
Internationalism: Coined by Jeremy Bentham around 1780, this term combines Latin inter- ("between") and national. It describes a political principle that promotes cooperation and understanding between different nations, moving beyond national interests to address shared concerns.
When combined, "ecoterritorial internationalism" suggests a movement or doctrine that seeks to address ecological and territorial issues on an international scale, emphasizing cooperation between different regions and nations to manage shared environmental resources and land-based concerns.
|concepts:summary=Eco-territorial internationalism is a concept and a praxis that emerges from the convergence of social, ecological, and territorial struggles across borders. It articulates experiences of resistance and transformation—such as democratic energy, agroecology, food sovereignty, workers’ control, and housing justice— by connecting local roots to a global horizon of systemic change. These are not isolated or merely “local” efforts; they embody a global sense of place and foster transnational solidarities grounded in justice, autonomy, and care. In the face of green colonialism, ecological imperialism, and systemic polycrises, this new internationalism reclaims the radical legacies of anti-imperialism while expanding the political imagination toward just transitions and ecological expressions of sovereignty. It challenges the dominant models of extractivist development and resists greenwashed capitalist transitions that reproduce sacrifice zones, particularly in the Global South. Eco-territorial internationalism does not abandon the state but goes beyond statist approaches, promoting multiscalar articulations and a biocentric politics of scale—from the body, to rivers and ecosystems. It is already in motion, through networks that articulate grassroots movements and resistances confronting the root causes of the crisis and shaping pluriversal futures.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Autonomy, Radical Ecological Democracy, Zonas de Sacrificio, Eutopía, Democratic Confederalism, Social Ecology
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Environemntal Racism, Futures, Re-Existence, Solidarity, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Eco-Territorial Internationalism.png
|concepts:illustrationauthor=Urvi Shah
|concepts:banner=concepts-banner-Eco-Territorial Internationalism.png
|concepts:country=BR
|concepts:region=Global South
|concepts:geolocation=-14.235, -51.92528
}}
[[Category:FeaturedConcepts]]

Concepts:Radical Ecological Democracy

2025-12-15T23:13:49Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=The term "radical ecological democracy" combines radical democracy, which advocates for the fundamental rethinking and expansion of democratic processes, with ecological principles, emphasizing the need for societies to live within planetary limits and respect nature's integrity. It emerged from critiques of the dominant "development" model, calling for decentralized governance, localized economies, respect for cultural diversity, and a focus on human well-being and ecological resilience. The phrase also reflects the collective search for sustainable alternatives to current economic and political systems, drawing inspiration from grassroots movements and Indigenous communities.
|concepts:description=Historical Roots: Draws from the concept of "radical democracy" developed by post-Marxist thinkers like Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe in the 1990s.

Meaning: Signifies a fundamental, deep, and uncompromising approach to change, as opposed to superficial reforms. It suggests an inclusive, continuous, and reflexive process of expanding equality and liberty.

Application: In this context, "radical" implies a radical extension of democracy beyond representative structures into areas of production and consumption, and a fundamental re-evaluation of political and economic systems.

Ecological
Meaning: Pertains to the recognition of the interconnectedness of human societies and natural ecosystems. It emphasizes living within the functional integrity of ecosystems and respecting biological diversity.
Historical Context: It acknowledges the limitations of economic growth models that disregard ecological limits, as highlighted in the influential "The Limits to Growth" report of 1972.
Application: Implies an economics and governance model that is mindful of ecological limits, seeks to democratize production and consumption, and strives for ecological resilience.

Democracy
Meaning: In its broader sense, democracy refers to a system of governance where power rests with the people.
Application: In the context of "radical ecological democracy," it extends beyond electoral processes to include direct, grassroots participation in decision-making at local and bioregional levels. It emphasizes decentralization and collective action, as exemplified by community assemblies and local governance structures.
Together, these terms form a framework for a transformative approach that seeks to move beyond unsustainable and inequitable development models by integrating ecological principles with expanded democratic participatio
|concepts:summary=Eco-swaraj, or Radical Ecological Democracy (RED), is a community-centered framework for just and sustainable well-being that challenges state- and corporate-dominated models. Rooted in grassroots initiatives in India yet resonating worldwide, RED integrates ecological resilience, equity, radical democracy, economic self-reliance, and cultural plurality. It emphasizes commons, sufficiency, diversity, and non-violence, while rejecting top-down ideologies in favor of evolving, participatory praxis. Examples range from Indigenous self-determination in India to the Kurdish Rojava movement, Zapatistas in Mexico, and the Amadiba in South Africa. Through processes like Vikalp Sangam and the Global Tapestry of Alternatives, RED fosters pluriversal pathways of autonomy and ecological democracy.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Swaraj, Autonomy, Democratic Confederalism, Sociocracy, Ta Madok Maka, Timuay, Eco-Territorial Internationalism
|concepts:categories=Care, Decentralization, Decolonization, Environemntal Racism, Futures, Self Governance
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
|concepts:country=IN
|concepts:region=Central Asia
|concepts:geolocation=23.16404, 78.57188
}}

Concepts:Social Ecology

2025-12-15T23:13:15Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=The term "social ecology" combines social, from the Latin socius (companion, ally, or society), and ecology, from the Greek oikos (house, home) and logia (study of). It describes the study of the relationship between human populations and their environments, with a prominent philosophical movement founded by Murray Bookchin arguing that environmental degradation stems from societal hierarchies and inequalities.
|concepts:description=Social ecology is a holistic theory dealing with social history, the human species, and our role in the natural world. Its proponents advocate for a restructuring of society from the bottom up, replacing hierarchy, exploitation, and homogenization with communal autonomy, interdependence, and radical ecological humanism. Social ecology is distinctive for its argument in favor of direct democracy as an expression of ecological politics; that direct democracy is “ecological” both in function and form. In this way, social ecologists ultimately view political revolution and ecological evolution as one and the same process. The 20th-century thinker Murray Bookchin dedicated himself to cultivating this perspective for many decades, incorporating elements of dialectical Marxism, classical anarchism, anthropology, urban studies, technology studies, ecological design, and political philosophy. The following entry introduces the background, key themes, and practical examples of this philosophy and then points to several emerging tensions, limits, and opportunities.
|concepts:type=commonterms, praxes
|concepts:relations=Radical democracy, Democratic Confederalism, Ta Madok Maka
|concepts:categories=Decentralization, Self Governance, Solidarity
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Social Ecology.png
|concepts:illustrationauthor=Nicole Marie Burton
|concepts:country=US
|concepts:region=South in the North
|concepts:geolocation=44.47588, -73.21207
}}

Concepts:Swaraj

2025-12-15T23:12:35Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=Swaraj is a concept from South Asia, most notably articulated by Mahatma Gandhi, that literally means “self-rule” (swa = self, raj = rule).
|concepts:description=While it has been used in nationalist movements to signify political independence from colonial rule, Gandhi and later thinkers gave it a deeper ethical, social, and ecological meaning: not merely the transfer of power to a state, but the capacity of individuals and communities to govern themselves in harmony with each other and with nature. Swaraj emphasizes autonomy, decentralization, and self-reliance, where villages and local communities become the foundation of democratic life through direct participation, mutual aid, and subsistence-based economies. In this broader sense, Swaraj is both a philosophy of freedom and responsibility, and a practice of reclaiming dignity, justice, and sustainability outside the logics of domination and exploitation.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, praxes
|concepts:categories=Decentralization, Decolonization, Self Governance, Solidarity, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
|concepts:country=IN
|concepts:region=Central Asia
|concepts:geolocation=18.60185, 77.39059
}}

Concepts:Total Liberation

2025-12-15T23:11:42Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=Etymologically, the term “liberation” comes from the Latin liberare (“to set free”) and libertas (“freedom”), indicating the act of release from bondage or domination. The modifier “total” (from Latin totalis, meaning “whole” or “entire”) underscores the comprehensive nature of the project: liberation is not partial or selective, but aims at freedom in its entirety, across all beings and relations.
|concepts:description=Total liberation refers to a radical ethical and political framework that seeks the dismantling of all systems of domination—human over human, human over nonhuman animals, and human over nature. It argues that struggles against capitalism, patriarchy, racism, colonialism, and the state cannot be separated from the struggle against speciesism and ecological destruction, since all are rooted in hierarchical logics of control and exploitation. Total liberation thus calls for an integrated praxis that combines social revolution, ecological defense, and animal liberation, envisioning a world free from oppression in every form.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:categories=Care, Decolonization, Re-Existence, Self Governance, Solidarity, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:region=South in the North
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-15T23:09:59Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

Concepts:Vernacular Values

2025-12-15T23:09:23Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=ver·nac·u·lar
/vərˈnakyələr/
noun
noun: vernacular; noun: the vernacular
(1) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region.
"he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience"
(2) The terminology used by people belonging to a specified group or engaging in a specialized activity.
(3) architecture concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"buildings in which Gothic merged into farmhouse vernacular"
adjective
adjective: vernacular
(1) (of language) spoken as one's mother tongue; not learned or imposed as a second language.
(of speech or written works) spoken or written using one's mother tongue.
"vernacular literature"
(2) (of architecture) concerned with domestic and functional rather than public or monumental buildings.
"vernacular buildings"

Orign early 17th century: from Latin vernaculus ‘domestic, native’ (from verna ‘home-born’)
|concepts:description=Vernacular: (usually the vernacular) the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region: he wrote in the vernacular to reach a larger audience.
|concepts:summary=Ivan Illich’s concept of vernacular values challenges the economic logic of scarcity by emphasizing autonomous, non-market activities that sustain livelihoods outside bureaucratic and commercial structures. As the formal economy expands, so does shadow work, fostering dependency and eroding self-sufficiency, a process Illich describes as a "war on subsistence." This erosion leads to "radical monopolies," where basic human activities—learning, healing, mobility, and housing—become institutionalized and commodified. Illich critiques modernity’s universalizing mission, arguing that the imposition of economic rationality, development paradigms, and standardized languages perpetuates colonial domination. Rather than seeking inclusion within economic systems, he advocates for reclaiming vernacular values as a means to resist commodification and rediscover autonomous ways of living. The case of the Acapatzingo community in Mexico City illustrates this reclaiming process through self-management, voluntary community work, and collective decision-making. Inspired by Zapatista principles, the community has built autonomous systems for housing, education, health, food production, and energy, reducing dependence on state and market institutions. Their struggle represents a radical rejection of imposed precarity and a reaffirmation of the right to inhabit and self-govern. Illich’s vision thus calls for a reimagining of subsistence beyond economic dependency, fostering conviviality, mutual aid, and the recovery of communal autonomy against the monopolization of everyday life.
|concepts:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts
|concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=MX
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:geolocation=18.92421, -99.22157
}}

Concepts:Pluriverse

2025-12-15T21:54:14Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:description=The pluriverse is a concept that challenges the idea of a single, universal world defined by Western modernity, proposing instead a vision of many worlds coexisting in dignity and difference. Rooted in decolonial, Indigenous, and postdevelopment thought, it affirms that no single worldview, ontology, or system of knowledge can claim universality. Rather than a fragmented relativism, the pluriverse emphasizes interconnectedness, reciprocity, and the coexistence of multiple ways of being, knowing, and organizing life. It has become a key concept in political ecology and radical alternatives, encapsulated in the Zapatista expression “a world where many worlds fit”, and serves as a framework for imagining and enacting alternatives to capitalism, colonialism, and extractivist development.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, companionconcepts
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Intergenerational Justice, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:region=South in the North
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

Concepts:Pluriverse

2025-12-15T21:54:07Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:description=The pluriverse is a concept that challenges the idea of a single, universal world defined by Western modernity, proposing instead a vision of many worlds coexisting in dignity and difference. Rooted in decolonial, Indigenous, and postdevelopment thought, it affirms that no single worldview, ontology, or system of knowledge can claim universality. Rather than a fragmented relativism, the pluriverse emphasizes interconnectedness, reciprocity, and the coexistence of multiple ways of being, knowing, and organizing life. It has become a key concept in political ecology and radical alternatives, encapsulated in the Zapatista expression “a world where many worlds fit”, and serves as a framework for imagining and enacting alternatives to capitalism, colonialism, and extractivist development.
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, companionconcepts
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Intergenerational Justice, Re-Existence, Struggle
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:region=Global South, South in the North
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-02.jpg
}}

Concepts:Harambee

2025-12-15T21:53:05Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=Harambee is a Kiswahili term whose precise roots are debated. Most linguists treat it as genuinely Bantu/Swahili and note that it functioned historically as a work chant used by porters when lifting heavy loads along the East African coast.
|concepts:description=Harambee is a Kiswahili word often translated as “all pull together” or “let us all pull together,” and it names a long-standing East African—especially Kenyan—tradition of community self-help, where people voluntarily mobilize labour, money, and resources for collective projects such as schools, clinics, or local infrastructure. It became a central political and cultural principle in Kenya after independence in 1963, when Jomo Kenyatta adopted Harambee as a national motto, calling on communities to work together to build the new nation; the word now appears on Kenya’s coat of arms and is widely used for fundraising events and even as the nickname of the national football team, the “Harambee Stars.”
|concepts:type=commonterms, praxes
|concepts:relations=Ubuntu, Relationality, Minga, Comunalidad
|concepts:categories=Care, Intergenerational Justice, Self Governance, Solidarity
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:illustration=concepts-illustration-Harambee.jpg
|concepts:illustrationauthor=Mogau Kekana
|concepts:country=KE
|concepts:region=Africa
|concepts:geolocation=15.10395, 19.86877
}}
[[Category:FeaturedConcepts]]

Concepts:Minga

2025-12-15T21:52:49Z

Admin:

{{Concepts
|concepts:ethimology=Minga comes from the Quechua minka or mink’a, a verb meaning “to request help by promising something in return,” which came to designate “trabajo comunitario por el bien común” (communal work for the common good) across much of the Andean region. It is pre-Hispanic in origin and is still practiced today in countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.
|concepts:description=Minga (also spelled minka or minga comunitaria) is an ancient Andean organization of collective work in which community members voluntarily come together to carry out a task that benefits the whole group or a particular household—building houses or communal infrastructure, harvesting crops, repairing paths, etc.—usually framed by strong norms of reciprocity, solidarity, and celebration (food, drink, and festivity often accompany the work).
|concepts:type=commonterms, alternativeworldviews, praxes
|concepts:relations=Harambee, Autogestión, Tequio,
|concepts:categories=Care, Futures, Intergenerational Justice, Re-Existence, Self Governance, Solidarity
|concepts:relevant=yes
|concepts:country=CO
|concepts:region=Latin America
|concepts:banner=Concept-GenericBanner-01.jpg
}}