Sarance Editorial No. 28 (2012)

Abstract

This issue of the Revista Sarance from the Otavalo Institute of Anthropology (IOA) analyzes the evolution of cultural research in Ecuador, focusing on the Imbabura region. The text reviews the seminal works of the first half of the 20th century, which, although inspired by daily life and addressing identity, are criticized for their lack of a solid theoretical foundation and their dependence on European and North American conceptual frameworks. It is pertinent to emphasize the complexity and theoretical diversity among the researchers affiliated with the IOA and to address the crisis in the Social Sciences, particularly Cultural Anthropology, pointing out the institutional inability to resolve foundational tensions. Finally, it is posited that the current anthropological work at the IOA aligns with contemporary debates and adopts a theoretical formulation of interpretive anthropology, seeking to reform the concept of culture by linking it to fieldwork and ethnography, with the goal of answering the fundamental question about the essence of human beings.