Intercultural Negotiations

The topic for this first blog is very relevant to my experiences thus far in Ecuador, because the ideas in the reading such as intercultural communication are very present in the international discourse here. Ecuador is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Before coming here, I thought that this was just related to the biodiversity, which is incredible. Although it is small in size, an acre of land within Yasuní National Park has more biodiversity than all of the United States and Canada combined. However, Ecuador is also one of the most culturally diverse countries. I find it incredible because the country is so small, but there are four diverse regions with distinct cultures, geographies, and histories. Examples of mestizo, indigenous, and African cultures are everywhere, but until recently the country remained very divided. In reflecting on the term intercultural, Ecuador is a perfect example. In their most recent constitution of 2008, Ecuador declared themselves both intercultural and plurinational. For the first time, there is legal and official recognition of the over 14 separate indigenous nations that exist here, as well as the many different people of afroecuadorian descent. In reality though, Ecuador remains a multicultural country with a lot of diversity but little overlap or appreciation of people with other backgrounds. It is hard to reflect on one specific example of intercultural communication and culture here, because the intersection of identities within each person is amazing. These identities are often not merged but instead exist separately.

Climbing Pichincha Volcano over Quito - 15.6 thousand foot summit

I can’t pinpoint one specific example of intercultural communication, other than my interactions with my host family. They are an upper middle class mestizo family, and it is very interesting to see how they immediately identify others as either afroecuadorian or indigenous with many stereotypes. These stereotypes exist, as they do in many countries, at all levels of society including within power dynamics. The “power distance” within different social groups, especially between urban and rural Ecuadorians is large, but there have been recent steps to combat it. Within Quito, indigenous people are seen walking around selling fruit and handmade goods, but they are stigmatized strongly by the mestizo population. My host brothers are both around the same age as me, and well educated, but I often notice them slip derogatory terms into conversation to describe either indigenous people of afroecuadorians. The ethnocetricism of the mestizo culture is everywhere, and it stems from the hierarchical and hegemonic formation of many Latin American societies during and after colonial times. In the media and all the advertisements that exist here, only mestizo and white families are represented. In reality, the combination of indigenous and afroecuadorian populations equals that of the mestizo and white population, but they are not represented in cultural representations or the government.

            One of the aspects of our experiences that has been the most different for us as students from the United States has been the difference in gender dynamics here. Although it is slowly changing and each younger generation is a bit less traditional, there is a huge “machismo” culture here where men need to act tough and in charge all the time. Women often stay home, and it is culturally accepted for men to comment on the physical appearance of random women when walking around town. For me, this has been challenging, because I am used to being able to safely walk anywhere with my head down and being safe. But here, at night I am not allowed to leave the house alone, and if I am walking with friends we get catcalls and many comments. We constantly have to be aware of our surroundings, and instead of confronting someone for saying something inappropriate, often for safety we must ignore the comments.

            In my first month here in Ecuador I have learned a lot about an amazing country with a very diverse culture. What has been the most interesting is to learn about the diversity within the country and the historic and societal challenges this has created. My studies here are focused on international development, and what we have talked about a lot is how to understand and respect cultural differences during development work. The new plans from the Ecuadorian government to address the societal diversity and respect the interculturalism of the citizens is promising, and we can see change happening everyday with regards to these issues. The diversity and intercultural society has also changed my way of thinking, and I am slowly starting to see their cultures through different perspectives instead of just a western idea. With development, this is important, because after learning about the negative historic outcomes of neoliberalism and imposed capitalism, it is interesting to learn about different development plans that better address the needs of the marginalized communities here. I am very excited to continue learning about the diversity and history of this amazing place.