This research examined two dimensions of national identities, in the context of postcolonial Ecuador.
First, we examined the ways in which different groups identified with their country, by exploring their knowledge of national symbols, landscapes, sayings and cultural influences. By interviewing women and men, rural and urban dwellers, and various ethnic groups across the three major regions of the country (Coastal plain, Andean mountains, and Amazon basin), a picture emerged of highly differentiated understandings of what the ‘nation’ comprised, in which regional and urban-rural location significantly influenced people’s discussion of and knowledge about, Ecuador.
Second, the project examined how the state organises education, public commemorations, its territorial organisation, and map-making practices, and how these relate to its nation-building objectives.