Estilos de consumo y estratificación social en Cuenca – El caso de la Quinua –

Abstract

Food allows biological and social reproduction, is marked by the coexistence and the relationship with others, and therefore is an objective way to make social differences. Is related with symbolic, economic, and politic factors. It is a total social fact. From this understanding, the research proposes to understand the practices of social differentiation in Cuenca – Ecuador, using as a case study the quinoa consumption. The thesis is based on an ethnographic research carried out between October 2016 and June 2017, it describes consumption patterns in various life styles, reviews the facts that revolve around the production of this cereal and the representations and social practices in both urban and rural areas of the city. The investigation shows that there has been two big historic turns in the production and consumption of quinoa: One of stigmatization in the colony and post-colony period, and another more recent of vindication of an exotic product that suits the demands of the international market. Consuming this cereal is linked to the search of social distinction, and shows the influence of the interests of the global food market that nowadays food prioritize the interests of the accumulation of capital rather than the needs of security or food sovereignty. This research shows that food consumption is marked by habitus, class and the global dynamics of the market. It is a study from the anthropology of the contemporary that brings a transformative potential to the debate on food.