Shifting Resistance
University of Curaçao
Protecting the Intangible Heritage - Links between Gastronomy and Identity in the Province of Manabí: Heritage Identity View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Estefania Basurto, Lizandro Molina, Xavier Alberto Basurto Cedeno
For the human being, the act of consuming food has greater importance than the mere fact of satisfying a biological need. Food evokes feelings of belonging and even local identity, especially when we talk about traditional gastronomy. The province of Manabí is known nationally for its exquisite dishes based on bananas, peanuts, seafood, cheese, and meat products, many of them ancestral and with great potential for international marketing. However, little has been done to quantitatively assess the economic, social, environmental, and anthropological importance of gastronomy in the province of Manabi. There is a need to document the impacts of traditional gastronomy, identify alternatives to preserve intangible heritage, and assess the possibilities of the evolution of traditional food to be marketed internationally without losing its identity. In this sense, this work contributes to the generation of information about the preservation of the intangible gastronomic heritage of Manabí. It proposes ways of evolution and commercialization of said heritage at an international level and the viability of applying to the intangible heritage list of UNESCO. The present study adopts a mixed sequential design with three components (1) situational diagnosis, (2) identification of anthropological implications and valuation of gastronomic resources, and (3) quantitative evaluation of innovation potentialities.
Heroes, Essential, or Still Just Invisible Workers?: Media Representation of Low-wage Essential Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Joy Leopold
In mid-March 2020, the United States enacted a series of restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Communities across the country were asked to halt all non-essential activities; organizations closed and employees began working from home. Restaurants and bars, stores and shops—with exceptions such as groceries and pharmacies—also closed operations. All sectors of society were called to stay home. Missing from those being asked to stay home were those deemed “essential” in some way, notably, healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses and aides. As news began to circulate about the pandemic, news coverage of those on the “frontlines” began to proliferate. Healthcare workers were lauded as heroes and stories of their sacrifice peppered the news. In the same vein, news cycles included stories of other essential workers: those ringing groceries, delivering food to homebound citizens, working in meatpacking facilities and e-commerce warehouses, and manning public transportation and rideshare services. These workers were also braving the dangers of a new disease, about which information was conflicting at best and scarce at worst. These workers were also working long hours in stressful conditions, sometimes without adequate protection, often without adequate pay. And yet, the status of “hero” remained reserved for those working in healthcare. The purpose of this research is to examine the language used to describe these essential workers in the popular press. Research on the language used to describe those lauded as “heroes” is contrasted with the language used during the pandemic to refer to the essential workers.
Shrinking Civil Space?: Civil Society Perspectives on the Contemporary Situation of Human Rights Defenders in South Asia
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paul Chaney
Focusing on eight countries in South Asia, this study examines the living tensions between governments and human rights defenders (HRDs). This provides new insights into the processes of governance and democracy in diverse communities. Analysis centres on civil society organisations’ (CSOs) perspectives on the contemporary situation of HRDs in South Asia using submissions to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the United Nations five-yearly monitoring process. The governments’ UPR discourse shows how their engagement is characterised by performativity and legitimation. They appear to embrace the promotion of HRDs’ rights in a way that advances governments’ political legitimacy on the international stage. Instead, analysis of CSOs’ UPR discourse reveals that HRDs face a raft of rights violations, including threats, violence and murder. Accordingly, new insights are provided into the conference themes of democracy and diversity and, through reference to HRDs and CSOs, questions of representation and voice as well as frames of justice – human rights and the law. The findings show how HRDs’ work is being curtailed by increasing state restrictions on freedom of association and expression. The malaise is compounded by impunity for offenders, corrupt practices and governments’ failure to respond to earlier UPR recommendations. The analysis shows women HRDs are particularly vulnerable to all types of violation. This threat to democracy in the region shows that key reforms are urgently required, including measures to ensure the justiciability of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
