Pluriversal politics : the real and the possible / Arturo Escobar ; translated by David Frye.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [175]-184) and index.

Preface to the English edition -- Introduction : another possible is possible -- Theory and the un/real : tools for rethinking "reality" and the possible -- From below, on the left, and with the Earth : the difference stemming from Abya Yala/Afro/Latino América makes -- The Earth-form of life : Nasa thought and the limits to the episteme of modernity -- Sentipensar with the Earth : territorial struggles and the ontological dimension of the epistemologies of the South -- Notes on intellectual colonialism and the dilemmas of Latin American social theory -- Post-development @ 25 : on "being stuck" and moving forward, sideways, backward and otherwise (a conversation with Gustavo Esteva) -- Cosmo/visions of the Colombian Pacific region and their socio-environmental implications : elements for a dialogue of visions -- Beyond "regional development" : outline of a design model for civilizational transition in the Cauca River Valley, Colombia.

"Originally published in Spanish in 2017, Pluriversal Politics theorizes what is possible and real and how our conceptualizations of these notions at different moments in time determine our political practices at both the individual and collective levels. For Arturo Escobar, realities are plural and always in the making, and this manner of theorizing the world has profound political implications for imagining liberation and a world otherwise. The chapters, which were originally written as essays, point towards diverse ontologies- or modes of being in the world -and ultimately offer tools for thinking about what to do in our current planetary crisis, one driven by predatory global capitalism. Escobar moves us toward a pluriversal worldview, or a world where many worlds fit, and gestures at how we can find evidence of these possibilities in social movements, particularly Afro-Colombian and indigenous movements from Colombia. These indigenous movement leaders in Colombia problematize ontologies in defense of their territories, worlds, and modes of existing thereby destabilizing notions of the real and the possible. Most of the essays were originally written in Spanish between 2014 and 2017, and presented in contexts ranging from academic presentations to activist gatherings. Chapter 1 explores diverse examples of the real and the possible, such as those found in ancestral traditions and in other societies as well as those theorized by academics in attempts to destabilize the real. Chapter 2 proposes ways of thinking from the bottom and with the Earth, inspired by the revolutionary Mexican Zapatistas. In chapter 3 Escobar presents a discourse analysis of a statement by the Nasa people of the Northern Cauca region of Colombia to argue for the adoption of a Mother Earth Liberation concept/movement. Chapters 4 and 5, respectively, explore epistemologies of the South and autonomous social theory productions from Latin America. Chapter 6 considers the idea of "living beyond development" and examines relevant experiences in the resistance to development that provide a glimpse into other worlds while chapter 7 considers a radical sustainability strategy for Colombia given the current planetary crisis. Finally, chapter 8 imagines a different design for the ecologically devasted city of Cali, Colombia, a new design grounded in self-organization and the relationality of life. This book will be of interested to students and scholars in anthropology, social theory, and Latin American studies"-- Provided by publisher.