The Concept of “Buen Vivir” and the Social Work Profession

Abstract

This article offers a way to acknowledge the human right of indigenous people to be actively involved in developing and determining their own development. It challenges the social work profession to consider an indigenous worldview in development. To accomplish this, four main challenges of the concept and social movement of Buen Vivir (or Living Well) from Latin American indigenous communities represents for the current parameters of the social work profession are discussed: the idea of development and the outcome approach; the idea of what a good life means; ethical individualism; and anthropocentrism.