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This Palgrave Pivot presents a concise yet comprehensive history of sociology in Ecuador. The case of Ecuador is especially interesting, as Ecuadorian sociology oscillated between theoretical debates, some of them out of time, and a constant search for ways of applying them to the local reality. In the decades after its formal creation in 1915, early academic sociology in Ecuador worked creatively with already outdated theories around positivism and organicism to understand the Indigenous population's position, the regional fragmentation, and the formation of a coherent nation-state in Ecuador. After a short attempt of installing a more technical sociology in the 1960s, those topics were taken up and re-read by Marxist-inspired critical sociology after the 1970s, leading to the nation-wide institutionalization of one particular tradition that could connect to continental debates. This book engages with several relevant debates in social sciences and humanities, particularly by adding to the thriving research on social sciences and the role of the university and higher education in Latin America. Furthermore, it touches some recently influential topics in sociology: Ecuadorian sociology can be read as Southern Theory or engaged with from a postcolonial or decolonial perspective; the research on how ideas travel, are diffused or localized is vital for understanding sociology in Ecuador; the relation between academia and politics; and more. Philipp Altmann is Professor Titular for Sociological Theory at the Universidad Central del Ecuador. He works on how ideas spread, on the intersection of discourse analysis, history of concepts, and sociology of knowledge. .

Die Indigenenbewegung ist trotz ihrer enormen Diversität ein wichtiger sozialer Akteur in der ecuadorianischen Gesellschaft. Seit einer Sattelzeit zwischen Mitte der 1970er und Mitte der 1980er Jahre hat sie einen Diskurs herausgebildet, der identitäre mit klassistischen Positionen verbindet und um die politischen Begriffe indigene Nationalität, Territorialität, Plurinationalität, Interkulturalität und Gutes Leben herum aufgebaut ist. Philipp Altmann zeigt, wie sich dieser Diskurs gegen die koloniale Strukturierung der Gesellschaft und ihre Auswirkungen - wie etwa Diskriminierung und Ungleichheit - wendet und daher dekolonial zu verstehen ist.

Die Arbeit versucht die soziale Kategorie "Frau", ihre Funktionsweise in sozialen Situationen und ihre Konstitution sowohl auf symbolischer als auch soziostruktureller Ebene innerhalb der mexikanischen Kultur und Gesellschaft zu klären. Die Konstruktion von Weiblichkeit in Mexiko erfolgt im wesentlichen entlang der bedeutungsstiftenden Strukturen einer Vielzahl von Kulturen (zumindest: die indigen/traditionelle, die hispanisch-europäische und die mestizisch/mexikanische), gesellschaftlicher und politischer Institutionen (wie das staatliche Entwicklungsprojekt, Bildungsinitiativen, Kirchen und Religion) und weiterer, diffuser Einflüsse (etwa die Massenmedien in ihren populären Formen). Der Autor versucht diese als objektiv gedachten Strukturen - seien sie symbolisch oder Institutionen - ihrem jeweils subjektiv gemeinten Sinn nach deutend zu verstehen. Dazu wird ein Konzept von Bedeutungssystemen entwickelt, die den Diskurs auf der Ebene der Sprache, den Austausch symbolische Güter auf der Ebene des Sozialen, bedeutungsschaffende Mythen auf der Ebene des Kulturellen und schließlich deren je konkrete und körperliche Auswirkungen erfassen. Von diesem erweiterten Verständnis von Sinn ausgehend, werden Konstruktionen von Männlichkeit und Weiblichkeit im sozialen Raum Mexikos nachgezeichnet. (ICA2)

This essay reviews the following works:
Indianidad evanescente en los Andes de Ecuador. By Víctor Bretón Solo de Zaldívar. Quito: FLACSO Ecuador; Ediciones Universitat de Lleida, 2022. Pp. xxxix + 372. €22.00 paperback, free downloadable e-book. ISBN: 9789978676301.
Indigene Autonomie in Lateinamerika: Zwischen Selbstbestimmung und staatlicher Kontrolle. By Michael Fackler. Bielefeld, Germany: Transcript, 2021. Pp. 322. €60.00 hardcover, €60.00 e-book. ISBN: 9783837657982.
Indigene Resistencia: Der Widerstand der bolivianischen TIPNIS-Bewegung. By Maximilian Held. Bielefeld, Germany: Transcript, 2022. Pp. 276. €45.00 hardcover, free downloadable e-book. ISBN: 9783837663686.
La revolución del arcoiris y su escala de grises: Movimiento indígena del Ecuador. By Stalin Herrera Revelo. Buenos Aires: CLACSO, 2022. Pp. 135. Free downloadable e-book. ISBN: 9789878133799.
Indigenous Civil Society in Latin America: Collective Action in the Digital Age. By Pascal Lupien. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2023. Pp. vii + 284. $29.95 paperback, $99.00 hardcover, $22.99 e-book. ISBN: 9781469672625.
¡Así encendimos la mecha! Treinta años del levantamiento indígena en Ecuador: Una historia permanente. Edited by Floresmilo Simbaña, Adriana Victoria Rodríguez Caguana, and Mateo Martínez Abarca. Quito: Ediciones Abya Yala, 2020. Pp. 220. $15.00 paperback, free downloadable e-book. ISBN: 9789942884107.

La sociología como disciplina académica comienza en el Ecuador hacia 1915. La creación de la Cátedra de Sociología en la Facultad de Jurisprudencia de la Universidad Central del Ecuador institucionalizó una determinada forma de pensar la sociedad, incluyendo un canon de clásicos en el área. La formación de una escuela de pensamiento que se extendió hasta la década de los 50 perpetuó esta institucionalización particular, que ocasionó problemas cuando la sociología ecuatoriana se abrió a la global a partir de la creación de instituciones sociológicas mundiales y continentales. No obstante, las teorías particulares con su foco en una evolución natural de la sociedad según leyes sociales fijas, y en una posición importante para las elites, permitieron establecer la sociología como saber legítimo, vinculado al liberalismo político. El presente artículo se basa en una revisión de las teorías y los conceptos empleados en los textos más relevantes del debate de la naciente sociología ecuatoriana. Partiendo de la revisión de autores como Agustín Cueva Sáenz, Belisario Quevedo, Ángel Modesto Paredes y Luis Bossano, se busca trazar el desarrollo de los argumentos teóricos y de las principales influencias conceptuales. Además, se lleva a cabo una comparación con las ideas básicas de Herbert Spencer para demostrar que la sociología ecuatoriana temprana no solamente es una sociología positivista, sino una sociología spenceriana.

Academic sociology in Ecuador started in 1915 with the establishment of the sociology chair at the Central University of Ecuador. This original moment entrenched a certain way of thinking about society, which included a canon of accepted classic authors. The development of a specific school of thought, which became dominant until the 50's, made it more difficult for Ecuadorian sociology to incorporate new perspectives, especially when Ecuadorian sociology needed to open itself to the new currents of thought resulting from the creation of novel global and continental sociological institutions. However, this particular theory, which assumed that society evolved according to fixed natural laws and which granted elites a key role in promoting social progress; helped legitimize the discipline and provided a link with the then dominant ideas of political liberalism. The present article is based on an examination of the theories and concepts present in the most important texts invoked by practitioners during the central debates in early Ecuadorian sociology. The analysis of authors such as Agustín Cueva Sáenz, Belisario Quevedo, Ángel Modesto Paredes and Luis Bossano, allows for an adequate description of key the concepts present in their works and of the route followed in their efforts to develop adequate theoretic arguments. Additionally, a comparison of their ideas with Herbert Spencer´s shows that the earliest Ecuadorian sociology was not only positivistic, but also was heavily influenced by the Spenserian school. ; La sociología como disciplina académica comienza en el Ecuador hacia 1915. La creación de la Cátedra de Sociología en la Facultad de Jurisprudencia de la Universidad Central del Ecuador institucionalizó una determinada forma de pensar la sociedad, incluyendo un canon de clásicos en el área. La formación de una escuela de pensamiento que se extendió hasta la década de los 50 perpetuó esta institucionalización particular, que ocasionó problemas cuando la sociología ecuatoriana se abrió a la global a partir de la creación de instituciones sociológicas mundiales y continentales. No obstante, las teorías particulares con su foco en una evolución natural de la sociedad según leyes sociales fijas, y en una posición importante para las elites, permitieron establecer la sociología como saber legítimo, vinculado al liberalismo político. El presente artículo se basa en una revisión de las teorías y los conceptos empleados en los textos más relevantes del debate de la naciente sociología ecuatoriana. Partiendo de la revisión de autores como Agustín Cueva Sáenz, Belisario Quevedo, Ángel Modesto Paredes y Luis Bossano, se busca trazar el desarrollo de los argumentos teóricos y de las principales influencias conceptuales. Además, se lleva a cabo una comparación con las ideas básicas de Herbert Spencer para demostrar que la sociología ecuatoriana temprana no solamente es una sociología positivista, sino una sociología spenceriana. ; A sociologia como disciplina acadêmica começou no Equador por volta de 1915. A criação da Cátedra de Sociologia da Faculdade de Jurisprudência da Universidade Central do Equador institucionalizou uma certa forma de pensar a sociedade, incluindo um cânone de clássicos da área. A formação de uma escola de pensamento que durou até a década de 1950 perpetuou essa institucionalização particular, que causou problemas quando a sociologia equatoriana se abriu ao mundo global por meio da criação de instituições sociológicas mundiais e continentais. No entanto, as teorias particulares com foco em uma evolução natural da sociedade segundo leis sociais fixas, e em uma posição importante para as elites, possibilitaram estabelecer a sociologia como conhecimento legítimo, vinculado ao liberalismo político. Este artigo se baseia em uma revisão das teorias e conceitos utilizados nos textos mais relevantes do debate sobre a nascente sociologia equatoriana. Partindo da revisão de autores como Agustín Cueva Sáenz, Belisario Quevedo, Ángel Modesto Paredes e Luis Bossano, busca traçar o desenvolvimento dos argumentos teóricos e as principais influências conceituais. Além disso, uma comparação com as idéias básicas de Herbert Spencer é realizada para mostrar que a primeira sociologia equatoriana não é apenas uma sociologia positivista, mas uma sociologia spenceriana.

Indigenous peoples have been and still are largely excluded from the most important areas of modern society. They cannot participate adequately in politics, economics, education, etc. This exclusion is linked to colonialism and the coloniality of power and manifests itself in the term «indigenous» itself. The indigenous movement, especially since the 1970s, showed a clear awareness of this contradiction. It took advantage of the oppressive categories in the sense of a collective liberation. The indigenous function as a mechanism of political inclusion allows a local movement to connect with other movements, insofar as they are linked to the indigenous. And the indigenous became a discursive vehicle for the central demands of indigenous movements worldwide.In this contribution, it will be discussed the internal and external effects of the dissemination of the buen vivir concept by the indigenous movement based on a deeper discussion of the mechanisms of self-inclusion sustained on the indigenous movements. The centre of this discussion will be the framed of the concrete demands of the indigenous movement, especially the Ecuadorian movement and its economic proposals, in the concept of buen vivir.

The discussions on alternatives to capitalism led to an interest in other cultures with different ways of managing property. Concepts such as Buen Vivir are (re‐)discovered and integrated into discourses run mainly by the Global North. This implies an invisibilisation and colonisation of movements, organisations, and people as political actors. This will be traced with the case of Buen Vivir (Sumak Kawsay) in Ecuador, a political concept of indigenous organisations in the Amazon that was taken over by ecologist intellectuals and introduced in discussions on commons and degrowth. Thus, the concept was essentialised and the actors and their fights were invisibilised

Truth is always a reduction of complexity. The various aspects of an observed phenomena are reduced to only those that relate to how truth is defined by the observer. In this sense, social sciences create society by applying theories that define what is truth to it. This logic becomes a problem when the social sciences in question do not reflect a wide range of different theories that can complement and criticize each other, providing a more complex observation and, thus, a more complex truth. This is the case with some social sciences of the Global South, especially, in early stages of their institutional and organizational development. However, decisions made in early stages of a system can only be changed with considerable effort later on. There tends to be an effect of path dependency, especially in organizations engaged in social sciences in the Global South. This article will explore the mechanisms of production of truth and thus of reduction of complexity by Marxist critical sociology in Ecuador, between the 1960s and 2010. A focus will be the institutionalization of these mechanisms in organizations and the augmentation of complexity within critical sociology, usually connected to certain ideas of politics and sciences.