Azmapu: A Mapuche Philosophy of Care

Mapuche scholar and activist Elisa Loncon shares the philosophy guiding her fight for Indigenous and environmental rights.

In 2021, Mapuche scholar Elisa Loncon led Chile's historic effort to revise its constitution. Her attempts to formally recognize Indigenous and environmental rights challenged entrenched ideas about power and reverberated internationally.

In this intimate book, Loncon shares the Indigenous knowledge system that shapes her work as a scholar and human rights activist. Azmapu introduces readers to Mapuche philosophy, which is rooted in Mapuzugun (meaning the "language of the Earth"). Rejecting Western ideas about human dominance over nature, this book elevates a worldview in which all beings are interconnected.

Loncon explains how the Mapuche concept of küme mogen, "good living," results from people being in balance with nature. She explores Mapuche understandings of language, governance, ceremony, and gender and sexuality. She also highlights the vital role Indigenous women play in resisting colonialism and in knowledge transmission.

Rooted in Mapuche teachings yet resonating far beyond, Azmapu offers an alternative vision for how humans might live with the Earth.