Cultural policy: Oswaldo Hurtado Larrea

Abstract

The text explores Ecuador’s historical and cultural formation from the colonial to the republican period, emphasizing the persistence of domination structures and the imposition of a “white” culture over Indigenous traditions. Oswaldo Hurtado argues that the conquest dismantled the Andean worldview and established a cultural hierarchy privileging European values, shaping the country’s subsequent development. During the Republic, Creole hegemony reproduced these inequalities, preventing the emergence of a truly Indo-mestizo nation. He also critiques the Church’s conservatism and the absence of scientific thinking as obstacles to technical and economic progress. Hurtado proposes a cultural policy grounded in research, intellectual freedom, and Andean integration as essential conditions for a national and autonomous culture. His analysis connects the colonial roots of cultural and technological dependency with Ecuador’s contemporary challenges.