Né indigeni, né discendenti degli europei: i cablocos dell´America subtropicale da subalterni a modello di Buen Vivir alternativo (1890-2019)

Abstract

This article critically explores the connection between the Buen Vivir concept and the South-Brazilian caboclos‘ way of life. It opens with a review of different lines of inquiry that have approached the study of marginalised populations – such as indigenous peoples, sertanejos, fishers and cablocos – from the perspectives of history and social sciences. Then, it outlines the main elements that differentiate the indigenous concepts and worldviews classified as Buen Vivir and historical practices enacted by subaltern communities in Brazil in the context of internal colonialism. Finally, to overcome these differences via a possible “universality of difference” that concepts like Buen Vivir can bring in a generalist application, the authors propose the conceptual tool of “alternative Buen Vivir“. They argue that this alternative way of life can be found among caboclo groups that had developed their own ways to integrate themselves initially into the forest setting and, more recently, into urban contexts and modernization schemes.

Keywords

• brazil
• buen vivir
• caboclos
• indigenous epistemologies
• environment
• oeste catarinense