Ethics of the Possible

When researching with traditional communities in low- and middle-income countries, it is important to pay attention to local and specific ethical codes. In the case of peasant communities, which have different cosmologies from those established by the Western capitalist paradigm, this need is deepened. This chapter discusses the power relations that are established within the scope of scientific research that involves the participation of human beings, materials, the environment, and beings of other natures. When it comes to initiatives in which intersubjectivities intertwine different cosmologies, where does it stand with regard to the matters concerning ethical relations? This discussion presents some research situations carried out in the State of Maranhão, one of the poorest states in Brazil. From the narratives that emerge in the processes of design anthropology, the chapter discusses the ethical dimensions of different systems and worldviews that are found in projects aimed at the productive autonomy of female artisans in Maranhão. It will emphasize the meeting of scientific ethics and the academic ethos, strategies to reach a common plan, the locus where commoning happens

Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Development, Ethics, and Society · Engineering · Indigenous Studies in Latin America · Philosophy