Arturo Escobar (Manizales, Colombia, November 20, 1952) is an influential anthropologist and critical thinker, known for his work in political ecology, development anthropology, social movements, and decolonial studies. He was a professor at the University of North Carolina until 2018 and is currently linked to the doctoral programs in Environmental Sciences at the University of Valle and in Design and Creation at the University of Caldas, in Colombia.
Escobar is known for his critique of the Western development model and his proposal of alternatives based on autonomy, relationality, and the pluriverse. His most influential book is The Invention of Development (1995), which questions the dominant narratives about progress and proposes an alternative vision centered on cultural and epistemological diversity.
In his most recent work, Relationality: An Emerging Politics of Life Beyond the Human (2024), co-written with Michal Osterweil and Kriti Sharma, Escobar explores the idea of radical relationality, which understands that all entities are the result of a network of interrelations and interdependencies, and proposes a politics based on the interconnection and interdependence of all forms of life.
Throughout his career, Escobar has worked closely with Afro-Colombian communities, environmentalists, and feminists, supporting their struggles for territory, identity, and social justice. His approach seeks to promote transitions to more sustainable and just life models, based on respect for diversity and the interconnection of all living beings.
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