Buen vivir and the "Constitutionalism Found on the Street": a perspective from the theory of the metabolic rift

Abstract

Starting from an analysis of today's ecological crisis as a result of the metabolic rift between human beings and nature and its consequences, this article focuses on the development of the new Latin American constitutionalism as a movement "found in the street". The research problem is: to what extent does the new Latin American constitutionalism open paths to overcome the metabolic rupture by consecrating the idea of the buen vivir? For this purpose, a deductive approach is used. First, the category "metabolic rift" is addressed with a special focus on the exploitation of nature in Latin America, which involves addressing issues such as dependent capitalism on the continent and the historical extractivism. In a second moment, we analyze the role of the constitutions of Bolivia and Ecuador as builders of a constitutionalism found in the street and present the origins, concepts, and main aspects of the idea of "buen vivir" from the Latin American peoples. Finally, it is discussed in which aspects these constitutions point to the overcoming of the metabolic rupture in favor of the idea of the buen vivir.