Braiding from Esmeraldas to Cuenca

Abstract

The objective of this work is to "braid" the relationship of Ecuadorians with their hair, taking into account intersectionality, that is, triple discrimination by gender, "race" and class. A conception in which the cultural industries play a decisive role, which reproduce the hegemonic discourse, the one promoted by power, in this case at the aesthetic level. We have used ethnography, specifically life history as a research technique. Starting from anthropology, we will analyze the conception of hair that is held from the margins, both on the coast and in the highlands of Ecuador, so interculturality has been key in this research. Hence, through braiding we have connected Esmeraldas, a coastal city, with Cuenca, in the case of the Sierra. The first is because there is a majority black population whose aesthetics in general, and hair in particular, do not correspond to the established canon of beauty, with braiding having great prominence. The same thing happens in Cuenca, where part of the population is of Cañari origin, and men belonging to this ethnic group wear their hair long, tied back in a braid, which does not conform to the conventional aesthetics of the male gender existing in the heteropatriarchal system. Through this study we will establish an intercultural dialogue between both groups, which have historically been discriminated against, so we will also address the role that State policies have played in this regard.