In 2008 the constitution of Ecuador was rewritten by its new president—Rafael Correa—to make buen... more In 2008 the constitution of Ecuador was rewritten by its new president—Rafael Correa—to make buen vivir, or good living, the framework from which the government operated. The new constitution resulted in a national plan for good living/living well, El Plan Nacional de Buen Vivir, based on the Andean indigenous cosmovision of sumak kawsay, or living well. This plan is an ambitious attempt to improve quality of life in the nation by improving the accessibility and breadth of government-sponsored social programs dedicated to improving the livelihoods of Ecuador's marginalized populations. At the same time, the structure and culture of historically marginalized communities in Ecuador are rapidly changing as their local economies increasingly engage with the global marketplace. My dissertation research examines how residents of Cangahua, a rural impoverished parish located an hour north of Quito, pursue lives of buen vivir while maintaining a resilient local culture despite limited p...
The Ecuadorian state frames its development interventions in infrastructure and human capital as ... more The Ecuadorian state frames its development interventions in infrastructure and human capital as advances in buen vivir or 'good living'. This paper reports ethnographic research that draws attention to everyday appropriations of state discourses on buen vivir in the Amazon and Andes. Non-state actors in marginalised communities often use state discourses strategically in engagements and negotiations with state actors. We argue that uses of official versions of buen vivir discourse often reflect such strategic appropriations of state idioms, rather than subjective commitment to state-led development and official notions of buen vivir.
In 2008 the constitution of Ecuador was rewritten by its new president—Rafael Correa—to make buen... more In 2008 the constitution of Ecuador was rewritten by its new president—Rafael Correa—to make buen vivir, or good living, the framework from which the government operated. The new constitution resulted in a national plan for good living/living well, El Plan Nacional de Buen Vivir, based on the Andean indigenous cosmovision of sumak kawsay, or living well. This plan is an ambitious attempt to improve quality of life in the nation by improving the accessibility and breadth of government-sponsored social programs dedicated to improving the livelihoods of Ecuador's marginalized populations. At the same time, the structure and culture of historically marginalized communities in Ecuador are rapidly changing as their local economies increasingly engage with the global marketplace. My dissertation research examines how residents of Cangahua, a rural impoverished parish located an hour north of Quito, pursue lives of buen vivir while maintaining a resilient local culture despite limited p...
The Ecuadorian state frames its development interventions in infrastructure and human capital as ... more The Ecuadorian state frames its development interventions in infrastructure and human capital as advances in buen vivir or 'good living'. This paper reports ethnographic research that draws attention to everyday appropriations of state discourses on buen vivir in the Amazon and Andes. Non-state actors in marginalised communities often use state discourses strategically in engagements and negotiations with state actors. We argue that uses of official versions of buen vivir discourse often reflect such strategic appropriations of state idioms, rather than subjective commitment to state-led development and official notions of buen vivir.
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