An end without means? Key concepts of Latin American new constitutionalism and the politics of environmental protection

Autori

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v70i3.95628

Parole chiave:

Mother Earth, Constitution, Environment, State, Development

Abstract

The Latin American new constitutionalism that inspired the Constitutions of Ecuador (2008) and Bolivia (2009) is grounded in the idea that human beings are merely one species among many. Nature, in this conception, has a legal standing that can be enacted by any physical or juridical person acting in its interest. However, a closer reading of key concepts and of the writings of politicians and thinkers advocating Latin American new constitutionalism reveals tensions and contradictions between its utopian aspirations and their implementation through legislation. This paper inquires, adopting a diachronic perspective, and inspired by the History of Concepts, into its key notions, such as buen vivir, sumak kawsay, Pacha Mama, the State, and development, and offers a critical review of the concept’s capacity to be translated into the legal system and legal practice. The analysis shows that the Latin American new constitutionalism has not succeeded in breaking with dominant concepts of the State, market economy, and development.

Biografie autore

Daniel Cavalcanti Pimentel, Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – UNIRIO – (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil)

Mestre em História

 

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9747-6229

Lattes iD: http://lattes.cnpq.br/4185824084791696

Email: dancpimentel@gmail.com

Hanna Helena Sonkajärvi, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ – (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil)

Doutora em História e Civilização

 

ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5017-3792

Lattes iD: http://lattes.cnpq.br/2102198868397835

Email: hanna.sonkajarvi@me.com

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Pubblicato

2025-12-26

Come citare

Pimentel, D. C., & Sonkajärvi, H. H. (2025). An end without means? Key concepts of Latin American new constitutionalism and the politics of environmental protection. Revista Da Faculdade De Direito UFPR, 70(3), 11–33. https://doi.org/10.5380/rfdufpr.v70i3.95628

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