ABSTRACT
As I was researching Ecuadorian development projects and debates recently, references to culture kept coming up – in my conversations with Quechua indigenous representatives, in roundtable discussions about national policy, and in the corridors of Washington DC based multilateral development agencies. Not only were differently positioned actors and institutions talking about culture; people and policy were additionally drawing on specific examples of culture in action to illustrate their points. Indigenous leaders and international donors pointed out how in Bolivia’s Andean highlands, “traditional” forms of decision-making and administration were giving unionist structures a run for their money. In the midst of Ecuador’s economic and political crisis, Indian traders from the Otavalo area continued to export their distinctive textiles worldwide, giving anti-poverty policy-makers food for thought.
