Multiethnic Nations and Cultural Citizenship: Proposals from the Afro-Descendant Movement in Ecuador

This article analyzes the collective action, political proposals, and organizational strategies of Afro–Ecuadorian civil society. At the end of the twentieth century, the issue of multiculturalism arrived in Latin America with great force. In countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, and Uruguay, Afro–Latin Americans became an important socio-cultural group, able to intercede in national politics, demanding cultural rights, combating racism, and calling for an end to inequality and poverty. In this article, I explore how Afro–Ecuadorians have contributed to strengthening models of multicultural nation-building, inclusive democracies, and pluralistic systems of political participation.