Mountain-bodies, experiential wisdom: the Kallawaya cosmovisión and climate change adaptation

Abstract

In an era of climate catastrophe, it is critical to engage with adaptation. However, it is equally necessary to examine the ways in which climate change adaptation is deployed in development practice. This paper will first outline the constellation of international and national climate realities, and their itinerant policies, that inform Bolivia’s climate politics. After setting the stage for climate change in the region, this paper will examine the Kallawaya cosmovisión. Then, using political ontologies as a conceptual springboard, this paper will look at the various frictions and resonances that exist between these ecological world views.