Description
The debate on the concept of suma qamaña in Bolivia is divided between those who maintain that it evokes an ancestral philosophy and those who present it as an alternative to development and the economy. However, suma qamaña, as a marginal concept from the Global South, has not been yet analysed to theorize peace. Andean theology and Indianism allow to delve into the study of the evolution of suma qamaña to find elements that build peace from a critical perspective. This concept presents political and community frameworks close to ideas such as reciprocity, harmony, equity, and complementarity from which the research begins. Based on interviews and secondary sources, it is maintained that Andean theology reflects a hybrid peace scheme and that it is oriented towards positive peace by virtue of its intercultural vision where it coexists and accepts other cultures. Indianism is inserted into decolonial peace with positions that range from radical criticism of colonialism and rejection of the West to visions that propose the complementarity of the local with Western understandings. This research questions the traditional structure of peace and opens the possibility of knowing different forms of agency, meanings, and practices of peace.
