Blanquitud de la historia ecuatoriana: la producción editorial en el capitalismo logístico

Abstract

Abstract

This article explores critical and cultural conceptions of whiteness and the capitalist ethos – concepts from Bolivar Echeverría’s thought – and their manifestations in publishing in Ecuador in the 20th and 21st centuries. The materialization of these publications – principally book covers – and their circulation build a graphic and textual representation of national history in the framework of logistics capitalism. Methodologically, five covers of the novel “Las cruces sobre el agua” by Guayaquil-based writer Joaquín Gallegos Lara have been selected to observe the graphic and textual changes from one edition to another – that is, the semiotic changes in the book as an object – which enables the construction of concepts such as whiteness, which foster a certain capitalist ethos that responds to a context marked by never-ending assembly lines, production, and consumption. Additionally, the study explores previous research in the Ecuadorian publishing field and an extensive literature review regarding publishing and critical thought on the subject. The findings point to a lack of studies and regulations for the Ecuadorian publishing sector – where “piracy” plays a prominent role – which continues to reinforce whiteness as a particular way of thinking about and experiencing the world.