This is a property of type Text.
A
autogestión (self-management) refers to the collective and horizontal organization of social, economic, and political life without hierarchical authority or external control. Rooted in principles of mutual aid, direct democracy, and autonomy, it emphasizes that communities, workplaces, and associations should be directly managed by those who participate in them, rather than by states, bosses, or bureaucracies. Autogestión rejects capitalist and statist forms of centralization, seeking instead to create federated networks of self-organized groups where decisions are made through assemblies and consensus. As both a practice and a political horizon, it embodies the anarchist vision of a society based on equality, freedom, and solidarity. +
'''Autonomy embodies a radical break from hierarchical systems of power and control, emphasizing self-determination and communal governance.''' +
B
Bioregionalism is an ecological, political, and cultural philosophy that argues societies should organize their economies, governance, and ways of life around bioregions—areas defined by watersheds, landforms, climate, ecosystems, and the human cultures that have adapted to them—rather than by arbitrary nation-state borders. It promotes “reinhabiting” places: learning the limits and possibilities of a specific life-place, strengthening local food and energy systems, revitalizing Indigenous and local knowledges, and fostering forms of self-governance that emerge from the ecological and cultural particularities of each region. +
C
Comunalidad, as articulated by Jaime Martínez Luna and Floriberto Díaz in Oaxaca, is both a worldview and a practice that describes how Indigenous communities organize life collectively beyond the frameworks of the state and capitalism. Rather than being a simple synonym for community, it refers to a way of being and knowing rooted in territory, collective work (tequio), shared celebrations (fiesta), communal governance through assemblies, and the reciprocal use of land and natural resources. For Martínez Luna and Díaz, comunalidad is not an abstract concept but an everyday practice of autonomy: it affirms that life is possible only in relation to others and to the territory, rejecting individualism, private property, and imposed development models. In this sense, comunalidad is both an epistemology and a political praxis that resists colonial and modern impositions by centering collective decision-making, reciprocity, and interdependence as the basis of social life. +
D
Degrowth weaves together ecological economics, political ecology, feminist and post-development thought to question growth as a supposedly universal measure of progress; it insists on situated, plural notions of prosperity, foregrounds biophysical limits and entropic processes, and treats care, commons, and autonomy as central categories for knowing and organizing economies beyond capitalism and the growth imperative.
Degrowth is an ecological, economic, and political project that calls for the deliberate, democratic downscaling of production and consumption—especially in wealthy countries—so that human societies stay within planetary limits while improving equity and well-being. Rather than simply “less growth,” degrowth is a critique of the ideology of economic growth and of the belief that GDP can be indefinitely “decoupled” from resource use and emissions; it argues that beyond a certain point growth becomes socially unjust and ecologically destructive, and instead promotes shorter working hours, stronger commons, care-centered economies, and more localized, convivial forms of life. +
Influenced by social ecology, libertarian municipalism, Middle Eastern history and general state theory, Öcalan presents the concept as a political solution to Kurdish national aspirations, as well as other fundamental problems in countries in the region deeply rooted in class society, and as a route to freedom and democratization for people around the world. The term refers to a political concept theorized by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Öcalan about a system of democratic self-organization with the features of a confederation based on the principles of autonomy, direct democracy, political ecology, feminism ("Jineology"), multiculturalism, self-defense, self-governance and elements of a cooperative economy. Influenced by social ecology, libertarian municipalism, Middle Eastern history and general state theory, Öcalan presents the concept as a political solution to Kurdish national aspirations, as well as other fundamental problems in countries in the region deeply rooted in class society, and as a route to freedom and democratization for people around the world +
E
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. +
Las energías comunitarias en América Latina constituyen una práctica transformadora que busca garantizar la vida digna y la permanencia en los territorios frente a los impactos del modelo energético dominante, marcado por exclusión, despojo y dependencia. No se reducen a la electricidad ni a la técnica, sino que abarcan una visión integral de la energía como tejido social, cultural y político. Su origen está en comunidades, principalmente rurales, que han respondido a las secuelas de proyectos extractivos e hidroeléctricos, creando alternativas descentralizadas y respetuosas con la vida. Estas iniciativas se basan en principios como la solidaridad, el autoconocimiento, la desprivatización del saber y el buen vivir, promoviendo autonomía, salud y mejores condiciones de trabajo. En la práctica incluyen tecnologías y saberes diversos: biodigestores, sistemas solares, agroecología, bioconstrucción o mingas. Más allá de métricas técnicas, su alcance radica en forjar un modelo energético justo, sustentable y popular capaz de enfrentar la crisis civilizatoria y climática. +
Utopia: Coined by Thomas More in 1516 for his book, he chose the word utopia, which sounds similar to the Greek eutopia. However, the spelling he used was a deliberate play on words: ou-topos (no place). While eutopia means a good, achievable place, More intended his creation of utopia to mean "no place," thereby highlighting the unlikelihood of a truly perfect society. The term "eutopia" is still used to mean a country or place of ideal perfection, and can also refer to a society that is achievable rather than purely imaginary. +
H
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.” +
Hiisi has several layered meanings in Finnish and related languages but in its core it refers to a sacred place, grove, forest, a graveyeard in the forest or other sacred place in the old Finnish forest religion. Some of the epic songs and early documentation refers hiisi to be a Forest power that controls animals and the hunt. These meanings are similar across the taiga boreal forest zone of the northern part of Earth. This article traces the evolution and subsequent loss of hiisi in Finland from the 13th century to 2025. The article proposes that this endemic cultural concept is the equivalent of the English concept community-conserved area – ICCA. The article mentions a long self-reflection process in Finland to find appropriate cultural concept of this important, emergent conservation meaning. Hiisi, despite the loss of meaning between 1700-1900s, links both the ancient and the re-emergent meanings associated with community- and village-relevant forests, groves and the biocultural and endemic meanings associated with them. +
J
"Jineoloji is a river finding its own way. The ideas of every woman, her study, the data she finds, the secrets her mother whispers in her ear, the power of interpretation, these are all drops that strengthen the flow of this river. Its most beautiful aspect is its spontateous enlightenment of social blindness. Jineoloji is ensuring that knowledge conveyed to it is carried to society. Furthermore, jineoloji is embellishing research in all fields, whether economy, health or history."
(Taken form: https://jineoloji.eu/en/2018/12/14/what-is-jineoloji) +
K
Kai-: A prefix indicating agency, meaning the person or people who perform the action.
Tiaki: The verb meaning to care for, guard, protect, conserve, keep, or watch over.
-tanga: A suffix that transforms a verb or noun into a noun representing an abstract concept, practice, or state of being.
Therefore, kaitiakitanga literally means "the circumstance of watching or guarding" or "the practice of guardianship," embodying the role and responsibility of a kaitiaki (guardian or caretaker). +
Kota: Means "one" or "singular," emphasizing a foundational element or unity.
Tahi: Signifies "together" or "united," indicating the act of coming together.
-tanga: A nominalizing suffix that denotes a state, quality, or action, similar to "-ness" in English. +
M
Masling is a special word used to praise the soundscape of waterfalls and the swarming of honeybees—sounds that inspired the legendary group singing Pasibutbut of the Bunun Isbukun people. Over time, it has come to serve as a unique metaphor and symbol for the highest inner qualities of a person: an unconditional calm and creativity that reframes difficulties into potential solutions, and the capacity to turn a world vision into action—transforming an unjust world order while sustaining dynamic balance and dialectical harmony.
Masling is a special word used to praise the soundscape of waterfalls and the swarming of honeybees—sounds that inspired the legendary group singing Pasibutbut of the Bunun Isbukun people. +
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). +
N
Nakba (Arabic: النكبة, al-Nakba, “the catastrophe”) is the term used primarily by Palestinians to describe the mass displacement, dispossession, and destruction of Palestinian society that accompanied the establishment of the State of Israel in 1947–49. It refers above all to the expulsion or flight of roughly 700,000–750,000 Palestinians from their homes, the depopulation or destruction of more than 400 villages and urban neighborhoods, and the erasure of “Palestine” from the political map, events many historians analyze as a form of ethnic cleansing and settler colonialism, while many Israeli officials and some historians instead frame the same period as a war of independence and deny this characterization.
In contemporary Palestinian discourse, “the Nakba” also names an ongoing condition: exile, statelessness, refugeehood, land confiscation, and military occupation, sometimes referred to as the “ongoing Nakba.”
The Lebanese historian Constantin Zureiq is generally credited with first using it in this sense in his 1948 book Ma‘na al-Nakba (The Meaning of the Disaster), after which the term was taken up by Palestinian writers and activists and later institutionalized in commemorations such as Nakba Day on 15 May.
Epistemologically, “Nakba” functions as a foundational narrative and analytic lens in Palestinian historiography and memory: it names a collective experience of loss and violence, structures claims to the right of return, and frames the conflict in terms of dispossession and settler colonialism, while also being contested, minimized, or legally constrained in Israeli state discourse (for example through the 2011 “Nakba Law”). +
P
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. +
R
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 +
S
Salugpungan, meaning “unity” in the Talaingod Manobo language, is both a philosophy and a practice that guides the Lumad peoples of Mindanao in their struggle for land, life, and self-determination. Rooted in collective farming, rituals, schools, and everyday acts of cooperation, salugpungan reflects how survival and resistance are inseparable. Catherine “Katkat” Dalon recalls learning unity as a child in Lumad schools, where lessons combined literacy with communal practices like sharing food, planting seeds, and caring for children. Historically, the term also names the movement born in the 1990s against logging corporations and state militarization, when Lumad leaders and communities organized to defend the Pantaron Range and their ancestral territories. From this struggle emerged community schools that wove together education and resistance. Despite repression, closures, and the loss of teachers and leaders, salugpungan endures as a moral and political force: a reminder that victory is certain when strength is united. +