ANT/GWS 195 Sumak Kawsay and Ikigai: Living Well and Finding Meaning in a Global World
This Global Learning Program (GLP) course offers an exploration of two concepts:
- sumak痥awsay,痑 central tenet of Andean and Quechua cosmology that means 渓iving well,澂and
- ikigai,痑n idea that originated in 8th-century疛apan that roughly translates痑s痜inding meaning in life.
疻hile their cultural origins vary greatly, these two concepts share particular aspects痮f what constitutes a 済ood life.澂Each ideology痓lends痠ndividual wellness, community relations and harmony,痚cological stewardship,痑nd sustainability. As they are used today,痵umak痥awsay痑nd痠kigai痵eek痶o decolonize Western assumptions about the body and well-being and re-appropriate痶raditional痺ays of being and knowing, particularly in their emphasis on痑ncestral knowledge, traditional healing,痑nd eco-spiritual痯ractices. Simultaneously, they also have been deployed politically and have become heavily commercialized.疎ven as these terms and concepts are getting newfound attention, their origins and related practices are rooted deeply in the past. This course thus centers痶he history and current understanding of痵umak痥awsay痑nd痠kigai痶o create a lens through which we may痗onsider health and wellness holistically, historically,痑nd cross-culturally.
To consider the contemporary and historical trajectories of sumak kawsay and ikigai,痺e will travel to three sites:疎cuador and Peru over spring break in March 2023 and Japan in May 2023. We have chosen these sites carefully in order to maximize points of comparison and divergence. By traveling to the places where these ideas originated, students will be able to contextualize the historical, social, and cultural settings in which these concepts emerged as well as how people in these places pursue what it means to live well and with purpose.
This course is taught by Professor Carolyn Herbst Lewis, gender, women, and sexuality studies (GWSS), and Professor Maria Tapias, anthropology. Institute of Global Engagement Associate Director Ashley Laux is the Faculty-led Learning Across the Globe (FLAG) program contact for this course.
The student fee for this course is $415 and will be added to the students College bill in February 2023 after registration. The student fee only covers a fraction of the full trip cost; the remainder of the trip expenses are funded through the Institute for Global Engagement.疶ravel expenses including flights, lodging, activity fees, and most meals are covered other than a few meals and personal incidentals.
Please note that all sites include several activities requiring walking through uneven, steep, and challenging terrain often at very high altitudes. Students will need a pair of sturdy hiking/walking shoes for excursions in all three locations.
Current first-year students can . The application deadline is Oct. 10, 2022.
Questions? Contact Ashley Laux.