Ecological Natives and Indigenous Class Warriors The Indigenous Movement in Ecuador and the Uprisings of 2019 and 2022

1. Introduction  2. The Indigenous Movement in Ecuador  3. The Crisis of the Indigenous Movement  4. The National Uprising of October 2019  5. The National Uprising of June 2022  6. Conclusion

Biography

Philipp Altmann studied sociology, cultural anthropology, and Spanish philology at the University of Trier and the Autonomous University Madrid (2001– 2007). He finished his doctorate in sociology at the Free University of Berlin in 2013 with a work on the decolonial aspects of the discourse of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador. Since March 2015, he has been Professor Titular for Sociological Theory at the Universidad Central del Ecuador, with a focus on how ideas spread, the intersection of discourse analysis, the history of concepts, and the sociology of knowledge. Presently, he is studying the diffusion of the political concepts of the Indigenous movement in Ecuador and the development of Ecuadorian sociology in relation to global sociology and other national/ local traditions. Research interests include Indigenous and social movements, decoloniality, identity, social exclusion, systems theory, political sociology, and sociology of science.

Philipp Altmann´s book is timely, highlighting the importance and complexity of the Ecuadorian Indigenous movement´s struggle around ecological, ethno-cultural and socio-economic grievances amidst extractivism and neoliberal policies. Focusing on two recent uprisings, he incentivizes further debates, underscoring challenges of Indigenous activism and the movement´s evolving dynamics in the 21st century.

Rickard Lalander, Professor in Global Development Studies, Södertörn University, and Magnus Lembke Associate Professor in Latin American Studies, Stockholm University

Altmann provides a timely update to the story of Ecuadorian indigenous movement politics by analyzing the recent protests of 2019 and 2022.  Focusing on changes in political context, movement demands, organizational structures, and demographic realities, this study provides an insightful explanation for the surprising resurgence of Ecuadorian indigenous mass mobilization.

Jennifer N. Collins, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Thanks to his systematic research work on the indigenous movement in Ecuador, Prof. Philipp Altmann explains its origins and evolution, starting from the idea of overcoming class demands, to focus on the achievement and defense of ethnic demands. Explanation that revolves around the idea of the “yachay tinkuy” on neoliberalism.

Francisco Sánchez, Professor of Political Science and Director of Instituto de Iberamérica, University of Salamanca