Suma Qamaña as a strategy of power: politicizing the Pluriverse

• Autor(a) principal: Teixeira Delgado, Ana Carolina
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Carta Internacional (Belo Horizonte. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.cartainternacional.abri.org.br/Carta/article/view/818

The “pluriverse” has recently gained momentum in International Relations among scholars focused on ontological pluralism. Nevertheless, theoretical debates may obscure several political tensions observed in local experience. In this paper, I analyze narratives on Suma Qamaña, which synthesizes Aymara cosmology and is both reproduced and criticized by political actors in Bolivia. I argue that the discourse on Suma Qamaña entails a strategy of power by both Aymara people and the government. The paper is developed in three parts: first, I examine the term`s framing in literature, Suma Qamaña`s risen in Bolivian society and its connection to the reconstruction of Aymara identity. Then, I analyze Suma Qamaña`s insertion into governmental discourse. Finally, I stress power disputes over Suma Qamaña. I suggest that the emphasis attributed by IR academics to its ontological potential without considering this strategic facet might lead them to depoliticize the term, reproducing a similar pattern advanced by other theorists and the government.