Research Discusses Well-Living as an Ethical Framework in Decolonial Education

The article “Education and Decoloniality: Well-Living, Ethno-Racial Relations, and Multilingualism,” authored by Andréia Rosalina Silva, Samuel Figueira Cardoso, and Marcelo Mendes Facundes, and published in the journal Revista Espirales (vol. 9, 2025), offers a bold interpretation of the role of Well-Living (Bem Viver) as an ethical and political horizon for rethinking higher education.

The study connects this concept, which originates in Andean and Amazonian cosmovisions, to educational practices that seek to confront structural racism, epistemicide, and linguistic inequalities within universities.

One of the most intriguing aspects is the comparison between Brazil and Poland, two nations with distinct racial and linguistic histories, yet both affected by similar forms of exclusion. While Brazil continues to grapple with the myth of “racial democracy,” Poland faces the challenge of integrating minorities and immigrants into a university system historically characterized by cultural homogeneity.

The article also presents reflections on multilingualism as a form of resistance. Instead of viewing multiple languages as a barrier, they are treated as spaces for the convergence of knowledge systems and cultures. The research critiques the Eurocentric logic of the modern university and proposes an epistemological shift, recognizing Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local knowledge as pillars for a more equitable education.

Within the framework of Well-Living, teaching transcends hierarchy and transforms into convivialit, an ethical and territorial exercise that gives voice to the plurality of languages and knowledge.

Full Article: LA  EDUCACIÓN Y DECOLONIALIDAD: BUEN VIVIR, RELACIONES ÉTNICO-RACIALES Y EL MULTILINGUISMO  | Revista Espirales