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Harnessing Afro-Ecuadorian Women’s Heritage to Promote Peaceful and Equitable Development in Esmeraldas, Ecuador

How can heritage be harnessed for equitable development?
Project status
Ongoing
Programmes
Heritage, Dignity and Violence
Departments
International

Afro-Ecuadorian women in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, are amongst the most marginalised groups in the country. Living in a region severely affected by large-scale extractivism and associated socio-environmental conflicts, they also face the impacts of drug trafficking and climate change-induced environmental degradation. The conditions under which these women live are rooted in a longer history of colonialism, with its own local discriminatory practices. This project aims to create spaces for collective reflection on Afro-Ecuadorian women's identity, as a means of valuing culturally specific narratives, practices, memories and heritage, while harnessing these for equitable development. Working with Mujeres de Asfalto, a community arts organisation, this project seeks to train young Afro-Ecuadorian women as peer researchers, enabling them to collect oral histories from older women, promoting inter-generational dialogue and peaceful development alternatives. 


Research Team: Dr Katy Jenkins, Northumbria University; Dr Sofia Zaragocin, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador; Dr Hilary Francis, Northumbria University; Dr Antonia Carcelen, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador 

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