Demanding a Radical Constitution

Overview & Synopsis

This open access book documents the critical thinking and political actions that generated one of the world’s most progressive national constitutions, presented to the Chilean public in 2022. Although that text was ultimately rejected in a national referendum, it drew on decades of diverse environmental, political, Indigenous, and community organizing and contained concepts and goals at the forefront of global efforts to create more just and equitable political systems, healthier living environments, and more resilient ecosystems. Drawing on research by faculty and students from the USA and Chile, chapters within this book address political memory, Indigenous representation, public participation, the Rights of Nature, environmental law, mining conflicts, natural commons, knowledge systems, and rural education. This book highlights important contributions from Chile’s 2022 reform efforts for diverse global responses to the erosion of democracy, environmental degradation, and climate change.