Cartographies of justice in the era of transitions towards sustainability, global and Latin American assemblages

Abstract

In this paper we organize the construction of justice approaches in the context of transitions to sustainability. From a qualitative State of Art Review of 110 documents, we identify justice/transition assemblages on a global and Latin American scale. Thus, on the one hand, from international debates, we distinguish the just transition approach with its roots in North American labor unionism, and that of energy and multispecies justice promoted by the academic world. On the other hand, in Latin American approaches, we find Buen Vivir and justice promoted by indigenous peoples and civil society, and climate justice, developed by environmental constitutionalism promoted by civil society and Latin American jurists. Global approaches usually claim adaptive strategies, while Latin American perspectives are usually re-foundational with respect to extractivism. Thus, we show that justice, rather than a stabilized, universally understood object, is a political artifact under construction, appropriate to historical contexts and intellectual traditions. We conclude with an invitation for future research to examine the practical implementation of these varieties of justice, addressing the social challenges and institutional resistances that may arise.