Socioecological transitions that transcend hegemony: From co-optation to resistance regarding Buen Vivir in Ecuador

The article analyses Buen Vivir (BV) in Ecuador as an alternative proposal for socioecological transitions in counterhegemonic terms with respect to development. First, we set out the alternative potential of BV based on four dimensions proposed by Valencia-Hamilton and Ramcilovic-Suominen (2023) and Ramcilovic-Suominen (2023): transcending human/nature dualism; the logics of need satisfaction; autonomy and decentralisation of power; and onto-epistemic diversity. Second, we examine the way the governmentalisation of BV in Ecuador resulted in its co-optation and instrumentalization, thus limiting or neutralising its potential for radical socioecological transition. Finally, we show how the radical transformative capacity of BV is maintained and operates in the concrete experiences of social movements and organisations that have a resistance character. To this end, we present the case of a consumers’ organisation based on the Social and Solidarity Economy: the Sur-Siendo cooperative. • BV proposes a radical ecosocial transition with respect to capitalist hegemony. • BV ’s principles persist in localised practices, as SSE initiatives. • BV transcends the human/nature dualism, promoting an ecocentric consciousness. • The Ecuadorian state co-opted BV installing a developmentalist agenda that limited its transformative potential. • The Sur-Siendo cooperative promotes BV as an alternative based on agroecological resistance.