[Lasa] Indigenous vs. non-indigenous legal & judicial pluralism in Ecuador / pluralismo juridico indigena y no-indigena en el Ecuador

[Tod Swanson]

Hi Karin.  I am an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State working on Napo and Pataza Quichua culture.   I know that Kathleen Dewalt who directs the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh has done work on domestic violence in Manabi.  I am interested legal pluralsim for the Indian communities although this is not my main area of research.  You say that there is literature on the Ecuadorian Indian communities for this issue.  Could you send me the bibliography that you have found?   My sense is that although the constitution recognizes legal pluralism for the Indian communities the details are too vague to have any real force.   If a conflict arises between Ecuadorian law and community sensibilities Ecuadorian law usually wins.  This is in part because Quichua communities do not have any written codes dealing with issues such as family violence.   Most of the communities are basically ayllus or extended families.  If a domestic conflic arises that might lead to a divorce that would affect land ownership Ecuadorian law would require that the land be sold and the proceeds divided betwen the two parties.  A comuna on the other hand would convene its socios to a session extraordinaria to discuss the issues.  The socios would discuss the issue and come to some kind of a resolution.  But since a comuna is basically an ayllu the "socios" are often relatives of only one of the parties in the divorce and they simply side with their relative arguing that the land was inherited family or ayllu land and that the person married into the family from outside (cachun if female) masha (if male) should forfit their claim.  Ecuadorian law which requires equal division of property would probably prevail.    The Quichua community of Union Venecia is currently pressing a test case on this issue in a divorce between C Andi (male ayllu member) and A Shiguango (cachun married into the Andi ayllu from outside).  Union Venecia is dominated by the Andi ayllu.  Tod 

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From: lasa-bounces at lists.ecuatorianistas.org on behalf of Karin Friederic
Sent: Sun 11/8/2009 12:55
Cc: lasa at lists.ecuatorianistas.org
Subject: [Lasa] Indigenous vs. non-indigenous legal & judicial pluralism in Ecuador / pluralismo juridico indigena y no-indigena en el Ecuador



Fellow Ecuatorianistas, 

I am a doctoral student at the University of Arizona, I am currently writing my dissertation on family violence among Manabita families living in a rural region of Esmeraldas. 

One of my chapters (and an upcoming conference paper) addresses pluralistic judicial practices and the legal and moral discourses/responses to family violence (and its resolution) within these mestizo communities.  

In light of the 2008 Constitution and its formal recognition of Ecuador as a plurinationalist state, I would like to explore and contextualize the tensions between indigenous and mestizo approaches to "local justice". While there is scholarship on indigenous justice in Ecuador (due to its formal recognition since 1998), I have not found much on the non-indigenous judicial/legal pluralism (aside from news articles that document instances of community violence, lynchings, and mob violence in Manabi mostly).  If anyone could point me towards helpful resources, contacts, or even relevant news items, I'd very much appreciate it! 

Thank you!

Karin Friederic

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Compañeros Ecuatorianistas,
 
Soy una estudiante posgrado en antropología cultural en la Universidad de Arizona EEUU, y actualmente estoy escribiendo mi tesis sobre la violencia familiar entre familias Manabitas que viven en una región rural de Esmeraldas. 

Uno de mis capítulos (y una presentación que voy a dar en una próxima conferencia) aborda las prácticas judiciales y pluralistas, y los discursos morales y legales hacia la violencia familiar (y su resolución) dentro de estas comunidades mestizas. 

Considerando la Constitución de 2008 y su reconocimiento formal de Ecuador como un Estado plurinacionalista, me gustaría explorar y contextualizar las tensiones entre los enfoques indígenas y mestizas de la "justicia local". He encontrado mucho trabajo sobre la justicia indígena en el Ecuador, pero no he encontrado mucho sobre  pluralismo jurídico no-indígena (aparte de los artículos de noticias de casos de violencia comunitaria, linchamientos y violencia callejera en Manabí). Si alguien me podría apuntar hacia unos recursos útiles, otros contactos, o noticias de interés relacionados al tema, yo estaría muy agradecida! 

Gracias de antemano,

Karin Friederic



-- 
Karin Friederic
Ph.D. Candidate
School of Anthropology
The University of Arizona
http://anthro.web.arizona.edu/