Everyday forms of racism in contemporary Ecuador: the experiences of middle-class Indians

This article studies anti-Indian forms of racial discrimination in present day Ecuador. Drawing on thirty eight in-depth interviews with middle-class Indians, this exploratory research analyses the different mechanisms of rac ial discrimination and the responses to it in a context of transition from a paternalistic system of racial domination to a possible democratization o f racial and ethnic relations. The following dimensions of discrimination a re examined: the site, the range of discriminatory actions and the response s. I also analyse how ethnic categories such as Indian, mestizo and white a re constructed in Ecuador. The article concludes with a reflection on the o bstacles of racism for democratization.