Sarance Editorial No. 48

Abstract

This publisher offers a reflection on memory, time, and the symbolic reconstruction of human spaces. Using the historical case of Pompeii—its destruction and subsequent petrification after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius—it draws an analogy with contemporary processes of collective forgetting. This idea is expanded through Yoko Ogawa’s The Memory Police and Byung-Chul Han’s philosophy, both of which warn against the replacement of memory with transient, dehumanized information in the digital era. Within this framework, the editorial critiques modern urban development and real estate speculation, which, under the guise of progress, have erased the history and identity of local communities, fossilizing political and intellectual practices. In contrast, Sarance reaffirms its ethical and rigorous commitment to preserving memory as a foundation for critical thought. This issue brings together articles addressing themes such as the relationship between image and memory, community organization, territorial justice, Ecuadorian philosophy, gender-based violence, and the contemporary role of the social sciences. Moreover, it celebrates the journal’s first international indexation, marking a milestone in Sarance’s 47-year trajectory and reinforcing the Instituto Otavaleño de Antropología’s 55-year legacy of research and cultural engagement.