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Alternative and Indigenous knowledges in Quito’s resilience strategy: A discursive analysis of power relations

Hofer, Maeve LU (2021) SGED10 20211
Human Geography
Department of Human Geography
Abstract
Resilience has become a recent buzzword among urban planners who intent to increase a city’s capaci- ty to function despite disasters. Yet, scholars have raised concerns about the impact of resilience strat- egies on marginalized groups which are unproportionally exposed to and affected by environmental harm. Power relations inherently influence environmental governance and its outcomes for equity and justice; thus, this thesis investigates how processes of power shape ‘for whom’ and ‘to what’ resilience is built in Quito, Ecuador, particularly focusing on Indigenous peoples. Dimensions of equity and jus- tice are analyzed by looking at both the recognition of citizens’ and Indigenous knowledges and the space that is given to them to... (More)
Resilience has become a recent buzzword among urban planners who intent to increase a city’s capaci- ty to function despite disasters. Yet, scholars have raised concerns about the impact of resilience strat- egies on marginalized groups which are unproportionally exposed to and affected by environmental harm. Power relations inherently influence environmental governance and its outcomes for equity and justice; thus, this thesis investigates how processes of power shape ‘for whom’ and ‘to what’ resilience is built in Quito, Ecuador, particularly focusing on Indigenous peoples. Dimensions of equity and jus- tice are analyzed by looking at both the recognition of citizens’ and Indigenous knowledges and the space that is given to them to participate.
For this purpose, a case study design is applied combining data collected through interviews with offi- cials of the Municipality of Quito, participatory conversations with Indigenous and Afro-Descendant students, and the analysis of official documents. A political ecology framework and critical discourse analysis sharpen the examination of representations of power in resilience planning. The findings demonstrate that power relations both constrain and augment the equitable potential of Quito’s resili- ence strategy, on the one hand, limiting the agency of citizens and Indigenous persons in deciding ‘to what’ and ‘for whom’ resilience should be built while on the other hand opening up space for the in- clusion of their voices in the design of particular actions. (Less)
Abstract (Spanish)
La resiliencia se ha convertido en una cuestión importante en la gobernanza medioambiental de las ciudades para prepararlas a funcionar incluso en casos de desastres. Todavía, científicos han expresado su preocupación por el impacto de las estrategias de resiliencia en los grupos marginados, que están afectados de forma desproporcionada por los daños medioambientales. Por eso, esta tesis investiga cómo los procesos de poder determinan ‘para quién’ y ‘para qué’ se construye la resiliencia en Quito, Ecuador, centrándose especialmente en los pueblos indígenas. Las relaciones de poder influyen esen- cialmente en los resultados de la gobernanza medioambiental para la equidad y la justicia que se anali- zan a través del reconocimiento de los... (More)
La resiliencia se ha convertido en una cuestión importante en la gobernanza medioambiental de las ciudades para prepararlas a funcionar incluso en casos de desastres. Todavía, científicos han expresado su preocupación por el impacto de las estrategias de resiliencia en los grupos marginados, que están afectados de forma desproporcionada por los daños medioambientales. Por eso, esta tesis investiga cómo los procesos de poder determinan ‘para quién’ y ‘para qué’ se construye la resiliencia en Quito, Ecuador, centrándose especialmente en los pueblos indígenas. Las relaciones de poder influyen esen- cialmente en los resultados de la gobernanza medioambiental para la equidad y la justicia que se anali- zan a través del reconocimiento de los saberes ciudadanos e indígenas y del espacio que se les da para participar en la creación de la estrategia de resiliencia.
Para ello, se aplica un diseño de estudio de caso que combina datos recogidos a través de entrevistas con funcionarios, conversaciones participativas con estudiantes, y análisis de documentos. Un modelo de ecología política y un análisis crítico del discurso refuerzan la consideración del poder en la planifi- cación de la resiliencia. Los resultados demuestran que las relaciones de poder restringen y aumentan el potencial equitativo de la estrategia de resiliencia de Quito, por un lado, limitando la agencia de los ciudadanos y de los pueblos indígenas en la decisión ‘para qué’ y ‘para quién’ debe construirse la resi- liencia, mientras que, por otro lado, abren un espacio para la inclusión de sus voces en el diseño de acciones concretas. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Hofer, Maeve LU
supervisor
organization
course
SGED10 20211
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
urban resilience governance, power relations, Indigenous peoples, knowledges, Quito, 100RC
language
English
id
9063409
date added to LUP
2021-09-16 11:38:13
date last changed
2021-09-16 11:38:21
@misc{9063409,
  abstract     = {{Resilience has become a recent buzzword among urban planners who intent to increase a city’s capaci- ty to function despite disasters. Yet, scholars have raised concerns about the impact of resilience strat- egies on marginalized groups which are unproportionally exposed to and affected by environmental harm. Power relations inherently influence environmental governance and its outcomes for equity and justice; thus, this thesis investigates how processes of power shape ‘for whom’ and ‘to what’ resilience is built in Quito, Ecuador, particularly focusing on Indigenous peoples. Dimensions of equity and jus- tice are analyzed by looking at both the recognition of citizens’ and Indigenous knowledges and the space that is given to them to participate.
For this purpose, a case study design is applied combining data collected through interviews with offi- cials of the Municipality of Quito, participatory conversations with Indigenous and Afro-Descendant students, and the analysis of official documents. A political ecology framework and critical discourse analysis sharpen the examination of representations of power in resilience planning. The findings demonstrate that power relations both constrain and augment the equitable potential of Quito’s resili- ence strategy, on the one hand, limiting the agency of citizens and Indigenous persons in deciding ‘to what’ and ‘for whom’ resilience should be built while on the other hand opening up space for the in- clusion of their voices in the design of particular actions.}},
  author       = {{Hofer, Maeve}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Alternative and Indigenous knowledges in Quito’s resilience strategy: A discursive analysis of power relations}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}