A subtle kind of racism: Elites, democracy, and indigenous movements in modern Ecuador

How do we understand the achievements and limitations of social movements in an age of political and economic liberalism? This dissertation explores that question through the lens of the Ecuadorian indigenous movement. More specifically, I ask how Ecuadorian elites have responded to the challenge presented by the emergence of a large and sophisticated indigenous peoples' social movement beginning in the late 1980s and why, given the movement's enormous mobilizing capacity, it has not succeeded in significantly transforming the political and economic conditions which continue to marginalize and exclude indigenous Ecuadorians.;My argument brings together structural, institutional, and cultural arguments to show how Ecuadorian elites have successfully (if not always intentionally) navigated the changing social dynamics of the past century in order to maintain and reinforce their position at the top of the social hierarchy. Even as the economic, institutional, and normative ground has shifted under their feet, these individuals and groups have proven remarkably adaptable and have succeeded in restructuring their leading role in society. Perhaps most significant, elites have buttressed their leading position in society without recourse to the kinds of massive violence that have often accompanied threats and mobilization by lower-class groups in the past in other parts of Latin America. Elites have adopted the institutions and discourse of liberal democracy, but they are reluctant to cede meaningful power to their less privileged compatriots. Democracy, therefore, is likely to remain shallow and poorly institutionalized despite the presence of a significant indigenous movement.