Highland Indians and the State in Modern Ecuador
Edited by A. Kim Clark and Marc Becker
University of Pittsburgh Press, 2007
MOBILISATION BY indigenous movements in Latin America often represents more than just a demand for greater inclusion – it amounts to an effort to redefine statehood. Recognition of indigenous identity in law also has serious implications for governance and democracy, implying the need for institutional change that caters for excluded groups. It is for this reason that the state is of pivotal importance in study of the indigenous movement, and there is no better country in the region with which to examine the relationship between these two political factors than Ecuador, where the 1990 indigenous uprising and subsequent political mobilisations have been a potent symbol of the changing relationship between this marginalised sector of society and national politics. However, what makes Highland Indians and the State in Modern Ecuador such a valuable contribution to this discipline is its historical and comparative focus, taking the reader on an interdisciplinary journey to the very roots of the strains between indigenous groups and a state in constant formation. Edited by Kim Clark and Marc Becker, this book is an essential addition to literature about the evolution of the state in Latin America and the role played by indigenous mobilisation in that process. – GO’T
