Contrato social entre mujeres y hombres (Tema Central)

En esta intervención se pretende reflexionar acerca de una propuesta que ha ido ganando aceptación en los últimos tiempos: nos referimos al contrato social mujeres y hombres. Así, evocando el contrato social formulado por Rousseau como fundamento para la construcción del Estado, se pretende una nueva reedición del mismo. Un contrato que, se dice, se ha de celebrar entre los dos géneros, y mediante el cual deben fijarse las condiciones para una nueva convivencia social en la que participen por igual los ciudadanos y las ciudadanas.

State Policies, Territories and Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Ecuador (1983-2012)

This work seeks to reconstruct the dynamics of the agreements and disagreements between the State and the indigenous peoples in Ecuador, emphasising particularly on two key elements: first, the indigenous peoples participation and exercise of their political rights, in particular the right to self-government and autonomy within their jurisdictions; and secondly, indigenous peoples’ degree of direct influence on public policies’ formulation and implementation, specially those directly affecting their territories, including the exploitation of natural resources. In Ecuador, during this historical period, the state has gone through three major moments in its relationship with indigenous peoples: neo - indigenism associated to developmentalism (1980-1984); multiculturalism associated to neoliberalism (1984- 2006) as one of the dominant trends over the period; and the crisis of neoliberalism and the search for national diversity and interculturalism associated to post- neoliberalism (2007-2013). Each has had a particular connotation, as to the scope and methods to respond to indigenous demands. In this context, this research aims to answer the central question: how has the Ecuadorian State met the demands of the indigenous movement in the last three decades, and how has it ensured the validity of their gradually recognized rights? And how and to what extent by doing so, it contradicts and alters the existing economic model based on the extraction of primary resources?

El patrimonio cultural como derecho: el caso ecuatoriano (Tema Central)

When it comes to human rights, the first thoughts that come to mind are the rights to life, liberty or equality, among others, which possess the concept of being fundamental. Commonly, culture and heritage are not usually considered as rights; however, as well as there is the right to own legal identity, there is also the right to enjoy a cultural identity. This paper deals precisely with the study of culture and cultural heritage as a human right. Cultural heritage’s meaning concept is analyzed, its enclosure between fundamental rights and the way that it should be protected, essentially by the State. The Ecuadorian case is also analyzed around their legislation and cultural management, in order to assess the treatment that this right has been received in the country.