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|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: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:type=alternativeworldviews, praxes, companionconcepts | ||
| − | |concepts:relations= | + | |concepts:relations=Eutopía, Relationality, Buen Vivir |
|concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle | |concepts:categories=Decolonization, Futures, Re-Existence, Struggle | ||
|concepts:relevant=yes | |concepts:relevant=yes | ||
Latest revision as of 14:02, 15 October 2025
[[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’)]]
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.
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.