Transformation of Traditional Ecuadorian Culture Under the Influence of Contemporary International Cultural Trends

Abstract

EN : The relevance of the research Cultural identity is one that constitutes us as such and differentiates us from others, which supposes an aspect of belonging or continuity, a self-identification that in our view is of a historical and social nature. The research is guided by the appreciation, respect and knowledge of culture, in order to publicize and rescue the cultural value, and through this project to stimulate so that the loss of culture does not occur. a wealth of customs and traditions that identified their cultural identity, however, these have been becoming extinct due to various factors, among which we can mention: the massive migration of its inhabitants to other sectors of the country and abroad, the inappropriate use of technology, modernity that little by little were displacing local customs and traditions. This research identified traditions and customs and determined their importance in cultural identity. Chapter I describes the theoretical framework with the theoretical foundation of research, emphasizes the problem with respect to the knowledge of our cultural thought. Chapter II describes the theoretical framework with knowledge of culture and its importance in the transcending of time as: cultural identity, customs, traditions, among others. In chapter III, the national reality and its populations investigated in situ are described, cultures and traditions of each of the provinces are presented. As a trending topic in recent years, global culture has attracted more and more public interest. The answer to the origin and motivation of social movements are still incomplete. Therefore, the comparative study of it can bring more important practical significance, that is, the essence of social movements in global culture. The object international cultural relations and cultural policies of Ecuador. The subject is transformation of traditional Ecuadorian culture under the influence of contemporary international cultural trends. Chronological frames. Chronologically, the study covers the period from the end of the 20th century. to modernity, which is caused by the intensification of the globalization process and the formation of a modern type of world culture. Geographical scope includes territory of Ecuador and the states with which Ecuador has close relations in the field of culture, cultural policy and intercultural exchange. The purpose is to analyze the formation background, development process and conditions of transformation of traditional Ecuadorian culture under the influence of contemporary international cultural trends , compare the causes of their occurrence under different social and cultural backgrounds, and thus expose their social and political significance and influence. In order to achieve the goals, the following plans have been formulated: -Analyze the Ecuadorian traditional culture features, and give the definition of the concept; -Analyze the social, political and economic conditions of development; -Describe the development process of the Ecuadorian culture and its evolution in the process; -Explain the transformation of traditional Ecuadorian culture under the influence of contemporary international cultural trends; -Summarize the international significance of the issue and point out its limitations. The scientific novelty of the study. In Ecuador, various territories, languages and cultures are shared, particular histories, whose protagonists are not always recognized and are the indigenous people, peasants, leaders, intellectuals, managers who have tried to negotiate as equals with others, although some stereotypes and prejudices. Works still needs to be done to recognize and accept the many identities that exist in our nation. This implies that all citizens recognize diversity, and that this acceptance becomes new actions and public policies that oppose the old integrationist policies that have prevented the validity of respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and their members, and that recognize and value cultural diversity. Peoples have participated, in very different ways, in communities or in sectors of the population that have protected them as part of a larger social body. These different forms of participation have affected, modified, and adapted their own cultural conceptions, their uses and customs, their forms of government, and the type of relationships they have established with society. These arguments are sufficient reasons to demonstrate the need to generate multiple experiences tending to value our cultures, this is the case of this project, which aims to be a means to the great end of valuing the cultural identity of the people. Due to the particularity of his life, the collection of original data is more difficult. Therefore, further exploration is needed. Cultural identity is one that constitutes us as such and differentiates us from others, which supposes an aspect of belonging or continuity, a self-identification that in our view is of a historical and social nature. The research is guided by the appreciation, respect and knowledge of culture, in order to publicize and rescue the cultural value, and through this project to stimulate so that the loss of culture does not occur. a wealth of customs and traditions that identified their cultural identity, however, these have been becoming extinct due to various factors, among which we can mention: the massive migration of its inhabitants to other sectors of the country and abroad, the inappropriate use of technology, modernity that little by little were displacing local customs and traditions. This research identified traditions and customs and determined their importance in cultural identity. The Master's thesis allows us to carry out an analysis and critical reflection, developing thinking skills such as: inquiring, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating and arguing with clear and precise foundations, about the importance of culture in the development of Ecuador, our origins, the cultural components according to each of the peoples that make it up, are the autochthonous roots and other transcendental aspects that define the cultural identity of our country. Civilized men show their efforts to put on a high banner, the culture of their peoples themselves, and whose civilizations knew how to maintain their culture on a large scale, the same one that helped the development of the scientific, social, economic, political areas, etc. , which served so that the towns can function efficiently in these fields. At present, it is worrying to see that interest in culture on the part of youth has been losing due to the fact that it has been influenced by other cultures. Therefore, it is important to revalue these customs and traditions that our ancestors left as an inheritance, with the purpose of valuing their roots and forming educated people within society, with the purpose of marking their own identity and contributing with knowledge within our country. Ecuador is a country belonging to Latin America, located in the north-west of the subcontinent. Its limits are: Peru to the south, Colombia to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its area is 256,370 km2 of land, making it the third smallest country in South America, it has some archipelagos and islands such as the Colón archipelago, but better known as the Galapagos Islands. The Economic Dynamics of Ecuador and its mestizo and Quichua population, customs and traditions predominate, and that is scattered in the provinces of Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Imbabura, Cotopaxi, the East, among the traditions and customs that are practiced is the Diablada de Píllaro – Sierra, Rodeo Montubio – Costa, Amorfinos – Costa, Los Carnavales - at the national level, Pawkar Raymi – Sierra, Ash Wednesday - at the national level, Lent - at the national level, Holy Week, which reveal their cultural richness as customs and traditions, which encompass our culture and history, transcending time, leaving indelible traces. In Ecuador, various territories, languages and cultures are shared, particular histories, whose protagonists are not always recognized and are the indigenous people, peasants, leaders, intellectuals, managers who have tried to negotiate as equals with others, although some stereotypes and prejudices. Works still needs to be done to recognize and accept the many identities that exist in our nation. This implies that all citizens recognize diversity, and that this acceptance becomes new actions and public policies that oppose the old integrationist policies that have prevented the validity of respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and their members, and that recognize and value cultural diversity. Peoples have participated, in very different ways, in communities or in sectors of the population that have protected them as part of a larger social body. These different forms of participation have affected, modified, and adapted their own cultural conceptions, their uses and customs, their forms of government, and the type of relationships they have established with society. These arguments are sufficient reasons to demonstrate the need to generate multiple experiences tending to value our cultures, this is the case of this project, which aims to be a means to the great end of valuing the cultural identity of the people. The human being is born with a moral and intellectual contribution inherited from their parents, it is the beginning of culture and the fundamental basis of their existence that later become expressions with particular characteristics of each social group, which in turn are transmitted from generation to generation. in generation, marking a behavior and lifestyle that allow different ways of conceiving the world. Ecuador is a country with great cultural richness where there are 14 nationalities and 16 indigenous peoples made up of families with the same or different occupations that appear with their own forms of culture and that later each one of them displays a cultural identity. Cultural identity is defined then by all the spiritual, mental or moral elements of a social community that have been inherited by the different generations and that become guides for the other members of the locality. The social groups have their own cultural manifestations, however, due to the existing interrelationship, the customs of both groups have been unifying to such an extent that the traditions are the same within each province and there is a set of beliefs, legends and myths. ancestral, as well as customs that are practiced throughout Ecuador and that arouse investigative interest due to the importance of their historical narrative of ancient cultures and their identity and belonging. It is important to highlight that in all the provinces there are sectors of many traditions, customs that marked their cultural identity, but that have been becoming extinct, where few of its inhabitants remember the traditions, customs, beliefs and legends, according to this it is due to modernity, migration and little interest in transmitting to the new generations the ancestral customs of our country Ecuador [16]. Despite this, there are still people who preserve some ancient traditions and who try to spread them as much as possible, although they do not find support to make them concrete. It is important to highlight that this research presents traditions, customs that mark their cultural identity, but that have been becoming extinct, as shown by the results of ethnographic surveys, where few of its inhabitants remember the traditions, customs, beliefs and legends, according to it. It is due to modernity, migration and little interest in transmitting ancestral customs to new generations. Scientific Foundation. This project is based on scientific, socio-cultural bases, and aims to increase the knowledge of Cultural Identity about the different customs and ancestral traditions, based on the use of historical bases (facts and past events), which shows us how currently finds our cultural identity. Philosophical foundation. From very ancient times, our cultural identity manifested itself as a phenomenon that moves masses, tourism due to its characteristics that produces various effects in society, these effects are very significant because they produce national identity [36]. The interrelation of different cultures has originated a culturization of different customs and traditions, generating a devaluation of them. Through this research, we intend to awaken in the inhabitants the cultural identity that is forgotten with the passing of time. Educational foundation. With the realization and execution of this project, a significant contribution will be made to our cultural identity, but especially to the actors of it, through this project, it is intended to provide information on the Ecuadorian culture, its history and tradition, in addition to acquiring new knowledge about our cultural heritage . Given that tourism, today in Ecuador, has become one of the phenomena that gives us the most economic returns, we emphasize that it is the festivals and their cultural expressions that have allowed us to develop towns. The regions of our country and its provinces have given national and foreign tourists a variety of tourist offers, such as the cultural traditions and customs of Ecuador. Influence of behavior with Cultural Identity. Richard Shweder (1990:1) affirms that cultural identity is the study of the way in which cultural traditions and social practices regulate, express and transform the human mind”. That is, how the person is constituted in a constant relationship with the cultural systems that regulate the practices of a society in a determined time and space. This relationship, however, is not unilateral, but while the socio-cultural system influences the subject and allows him to establish himself as a person, once consolidated as such, he feeds back to the cultural system through his daily actions. Thus, the cultural system and the individual are mutually and constantly transformed [24]. It is worth noting that there is no way to study culture and, therefore, the individual without analyzing social structures, the social construction of meanings, the personal elaboration of meanings, around the appropriation of tools such as language, oral and writing, among many other forms of communication, that are valid in a region, and within a specific social, cultural and economic group. (Esteban, 2008; 2010). Cultural identity. According to Berger and Luckman, 1988: it is the set of values, pride, traditions, symbols, beliefs and modes of behavior that function as elements within a social group and that act so that the individuals that form it can base their feeling of belonging, and that are part of the diversity within them, in response to the interests, codes, norms and rituals that these groups share within the dominant culture. The construction of identities is “a phenomenon that arises from the dialectic between the individual and society” (“Berger and Luckman”, 1988:240). Identities are built through a process of individualization, by the actors themselves, for whom they are sources of meaning, and although they may originate in the dominant institutions, they are only so if the social actors internalize them and build their meaning on the latter [25, p.68]. Culture is an element of personal development and openness to the world; this being a strong point that favors success in the student, social and professional framework. It is the accumulation of knowledge that is acquired throughout life by study and experience that allows developing criteria, the ability to judge things and broaden the points of view. Culture is the set of ways of life, customs, knowledge and degree of artistic development, in an era or social group, and constitutes the way of expressing man in its dimensions, with projections towards a more humanizing and permanent self-assessment society. Cultural identity is the set of properties that characterize a person or thing, which identifies us as Ecuadorians: our way of life, customs, culture, gastronomy, that is, discover who we are as Ecuadorians and thus make ourselves known. Importance of Cultural Identity. Cultural identity is the representation of who we are and what our community or culture is. It involves environment, history, and will. The identity of a town is manifested when a person recognizes himself or another person as a member of that town and it is nothing more than the recognition of a town as "itself". Just as people have different traits that differentiate them from each other and that make them individuals, each community has its own cultural characteristics that give it a particular way of feeling and seeing the world [75, p.68]. Concept of Cultural Identity. "Raymond Williams" in his concept of cultural identity, considers it as an unfinished conceptual construction, there is no clear consensus regarding its definition and the aspects it involves. In its most general use, there is an intense development of the sense of culture as the active cultivation of the mind. For this research, the term culture will be approached from the sociology of culture, in its recent form it must be understood as a convergence of interests and diverse methods that are located behind other already defined fields, such as the sociology of religion, education and of knowledge.