Football in the Afro-Chota Valley (Ecuador): An Alternative Sphere of Black Identity and Community Development Politics
Author:
Lorraine Kerubo Makone
Degree Date:
May, 2011
Committee Chairperson:
James Turner
Call Number:
Thesis DT 3.5 2011 M357
Description:
162 leaves : ill., col. map ; 29 cm.
Abstract:
This thesis posits and explores Ecuadorian football as a sphere through which Black Ecuadorians, predominantly male, of the Chota Valley in the Andes have been able to articulate Black Choteño identities and mobilize community development projects in their home communities. In this work, I demonstrate how Black visibility in football, particularly through international forums like the World Cup, challenged articulations of ecuatorianidad or Ecuadorianness; and how Black footballers, like Afro-Choteño legend Agustin Delgado, evolved into important sociopolitical development actors on behalf of their communities through their involvement in the football industry. Additionally, this thesis provides a contextual description of the Afro-Chota Valley and a rendering of Ecuadorian football history that highlights the little noted presence of Afro-Ecuadorians in its development.