Euclides Mance is one of the leading theorists of the solidarity economy and the philosophy of liberation in Latin America. His work in these fields began in the 1980s, and over time he developed key conceptual frameworks such as Buen Vivir and solidarity economy networks. These ideas are elaborated in his books A Revolução das Redes (The Revolution of Networks, 1999), Redes de Colaboração Solidária (Networks of Solidarity Collaboration, 2002), and Como Organizar Redes Solidárias (How to Organize Solidarity Networks, 2003).
As an academic and public intellectual, Mance has worked as a consultant for international organizations such as UNESCO and FAO, contributing to the development of structural policies within Brazil’s Zero Hunger Program, discussed in Fome Zero e Economia Solidária (Zero Hunger and Solidarity Economy, 2004).
His research focuses on the structural contradictions of capitalism and ways to overcome them through solidarity-based economic circuits. He has also explored the use of digital technologies, including blockchain, to enable value exchange within collaborative networks. These efforts led to the creation of the Solidarius platform (2006) and the development of a solidarity-based exchange system (SIS) (2007), presented in Constelação Solidarius (Solidarius Constellation, 2008).
Mance is a co-founder of the Institute of Philosophy of Liberation and has served as its president. He is also co-founder and General Coordinator of the international Solidarius network.
Among his recent works are Circuitos Econômicos Solidários (Solidarity Economic Circuits, 2016) and Filosofia da Libertação (Philosophy of Liberation, 2022). In 2023 and 2024, he published the first two volumes of Economia da Libertação (Economy of Liberation), presenting a framework for building solidarity-based economic systems beyond capitalism.
Born on September 21, 1963, in Mogi das Cruzes (São Paulo, Brazil), Mance studied philosophy at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), where he later taught. He has long been active in social movements and popular education initiatives.