“Hi Maria”: racism and discrimination in interethnic, everyday interaction in Quito

Abstract

This study explores discriminatory practices, based on ethnic-racial prejudice, in everyday interaction between indigenous people, mostly of Kichwa nationality, and white-mestizos in Quito-Ecuador. It is part of a broader study that explores this topic from three perspectives: that of the indigenous people, the white-mestizos, and the perspective derived from the analysis and observation of interethnic interactions. Here, we focus on the first perspective by means of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with indigenous people residing in Quito. We also make some reference to data from the observation of interactions between indigenous people and white mestizos. This study draws upon theories within critical discourse analysis on the topic of ethnic prejudice and racism (van Dijk, 1984, 1987, 2002, 2003; Wodak & Matouschek, 1998; Pilleux, 2005; Quilaqueo, 2005, among others) and ideas from intercultural communication, sociopragmatics, anthropology and sociology, with reference to Latin America in particular (cf. Gugenberger, 1997), and Ecuador more specifically (Cervone, 1999a; De la Torre Espinosa, 2002a [1996]). Using Spencer-Oatey's (2000, 2008) rapport management model, we examine how discriminatory practices appear to be constructed with respect to various domains: the stylistic, the participatory, the illocutionary and the nonverbal domains. We show how indigenous people perceive their relation with white-mestizos threatened because of a number of verbal and nonverbal mechanisms that the latter employ. Through these mechanisms, the dominant ideology that positions indigenous peoples as inferior vis-a-vis white-mestizos is recreated and their status as valid clients / customers / classmates, etc. is denied.