Becoming Tribal (Part II): Ecuadorian Indigenism—A Vibrant Analysis

This research will assay indigenous-inspired practices in Ecuador in the context of contemporary events, as seen through the prism of these performances. The objective and methodology are to analyse these Andean practices from contemporary, ontologically world-committed angles, replacing the old myth-based approach. Set within the context of 21st-century scientific and philosophical thought, this objective focuses specifically on the search for a material event that is co-vibrant with the world. Rather than a language or discourse, which is always subject to interpretation, reference is made to an assemblage (agential realism) that gives voice to the world (intra-action). The work's climax focuses on designing and creating a model within the framework of current thought/science capable of indissolubly capturing the indigenous world in all its dynamic variety. This structure services an analysis that resonates with the world; it does not address abstract concepts, but rather the relationships between “objects” (material and discursive agents). It definitively decentres the subject and precludes any possibility of anthropological intoxication in terms of perspectivism. This situation gives rise to the research question and problem analysis of whether it will be possible to embrace or capture indigenism within a framework that is neither abstract nor subjective. If so, how can this be achieved, and what kind of model should be developed to give the Andean world a voice and enable it to express its unique characteristics? Addressing this knowledge gap is of the utmost and final relevance. Conducting the analysis will therefore deliver a vibrant outcome.