Community and Culture
Chronicling Cosmopolitan Aspirations: Thirty Years of Ethnographic Engagement in Cuenca, Ecuador
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ann Miles
In the 1970s, Cuenca, the third largest city in Ecuador, was described as a “out of the way” place and a “hidden gem”. Long characterized by social and political conservatism, Cuenca languished economically until the mid 20th century. Starting in the late 1970s however, the city’s urban landscape was slowly transformed as industrial production increased and land-poor rural to urban migrants moved to the city in search of opportunities. Poor migrants took up residence in dilapidated colonial mansions in the city center abandoned by rich families who had decamped to more suburban locations. By the 1980s, the poor who could not penetrate the rigid class and ethnic hierarchies in the city turned to transnational migration to the US. Then, in 1999, the city became a UNESCO World Patrimonial site, and turned its efforts towards becoming a cosmopolitan tourist destination. Redevelopment of the historic colonial center has contributed to gentrification and opened the door for yet a new kind of transnational migration, this time of North American retirees to Cuenca. Since the great recession of 2008, many older North Americans from the U.S. and Canada have embraced Cuenca as a “retirement haven” and they have created a growing transnational ex-pat community that has made its own imprint of the city. Based on 30 years of ethnographic research, this paper will discuss the cosmopolitan aspirations of the Cuencan ruling elites and how various forms of migration and mobility have transformed an out of the way place into an ex-pat “haven”.
Comparative Study on Central City Area between Shizuoka City and Hamamatsu City
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Takashi Nakamura, Syunsuke Fukatsu
Recently, in the local cities of Japan, the decline in central areas due to the suburbanization of various functions associated with the progress of motorization is posing to be a great challenge. Many cities commercial function in central city area are continuously decreasing. In spite of this, cities maintain a commercial function in central area. In this study, we compared and analyzed Hamamatsu City and Shizuoka City in Japan. Hamamatsu City and Shizuoka City are located in same prefecture and have almost same population. Hamamatsu City central area commercial function is declining. But, on the other hand, in Shizuoka City, the central area commercial function is maintained. In this study, we analyze Hamamatsu City and Shizuoka City for actual situation of crowds, movement around downtown areas, commercial function location situation in central area and suburban area, location control means of commercial facilities; and discuss the municipal assembly control of commercial facilities location.
From Vulgar to Progressive: The Curious Case of Shorts as an Outfit Among Indian Girls
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Rashmi Samant
The impact of globalization, particularly on developing countries, is loosely viewed as a process of westernization. The conventional response to counter this process through the preservation of cultural tradition and a contested identity has often led to insistence on ‘moral purity’ and ‘indigenous values’. However, in an era of unlimited flow of information and access to knowledge, the viable response tilts primarily towards a process of cultural hybridization. This paper tries to capture this dilemma of Indian middle class in relation to an attire of girls and young women– shorts. Wearing of shorts in a traditional setup was generally viewed as an embodiment of western modernity and often frowned upon as vulgar in India. With the advent of globalization, attitude towards ‘shorts’ as an outfit gradually changed among the elite: it represented freedom and liberation of women. Steadily, this notion percolated down to average middle class and among them shorts has transformed from being vulgar to being progressive. The paper explores the reasons for this transformation of worldview among the middle class families of India and the resultant ambivalence that exists in being compelled to choose shorts as an outfit of modernity. Through a series of interviews among Indian girls and the people related to them in a small town, this paper attempts to comprehend the attitude towards the use of shorts. It examines the impact of globalization beyond the conventional perceptions of westernization by capturing the middle class Indian dilemma in dealing with cultural hybridization.
