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Democracy, culture and education in Ecuador: Philosophical education as a means to promote a culture of democracy

Posted on:2006-10-18Degree:Ed.DType:Dissertation
University:Montclair State UniversityCandidate:Estarellas, Pablo CevallosFull Text:PDF
GTID:1456390008450483Subject:Education
Abstract/Summary:
In this dissertation, I criticize the Ecuadorean educational system on the grounds that it reinforces an authoritarian culture that constitutes a formidable obstacle for the development of a more authentic democracy in Ecuador. In order to begin to correct the diagnosed problem, I propose a policy of educational reform that takes the teaching of philosophy as the paradigm of what political education should be.; In chapter one I describe the current political system in Ecuador, and I argue that although it has been officially called democratic since its foundation, in actuality it is democratic mostly in appearance, as many of its internal features make it a subtype of authoritarian regime.; In chapter two I study the main theories proposed to explain the speciousness of Ecuador's democracy, and I advance the concept of political culture as a more useful explanatory tool. Accordingly, I describe Ecuador's dominant political culture, which I find authoritarian, and I identify three main components: dogmatism, paternalism, and personalism.; In chapter three I elaborate and defend a model of democracy that is constitutional, participatory, and deliberative, and that I believe would be more responsive to the needs of citizens in Ecuador than the current model, which is illiberal, elitist, and aggregative.; In chapter four I inquire how the political prescription recommended in the previous chapter can be achieved by educational means, and I conclude that Ecuador should reform its schooling system so that schools become reproductive agents of a culture of democracy, and places where students develop civic virtues.; In chapter five I examine the schooling system in Ecuador, and I find it partially responsible for shaping and perpetuating the authoritarian political culture described earlier, because of the de facto exclusion of marginal groups of people that it produces, and because of the authoritarian practices it harbors.; In chapter six I reject the policy of nationalist enculturation, which is the current dominant form of political education in Ecuador. Instead, I propose a political education inspired in the teaching of philosophy, which, I argue, can help develop the dispositions required for the exercise of critical and enlightened citizenship.
Keywords/Search Tags:Culture, Ecuador, Education, Democracy, Authoritarian, Political, System
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