Social studies in Ecuador: from patriotic instruction to critical pedagogy

Abstract

The article examines the historical development of social studies education in Ecuador from the 19th century to the present. The research analyzes the ideological foundations, curriculum reforms, pedagogical practices, and institutional struggles that emerge through the teaching of this discipline. The authors argue that social studies education has been a space of ideological and cultural disputes in which processes of nationalization, modernization, critical resistance, and education influence the formation of a reflective and committed citizenship: from nationalist civic education and forms of memorization in the late 19th century and into the 21st century, to more critical and inclusive analyses starting in the mid-20th century. With the Citizen Revolution, social studies acquired relevance by being related to 'good living' and a committed citizenship, but with several structural limits such as the lack of teacher preparation and the tension between the official discourse and teaching practice. Currently, the field faces new challenges such as the new post-pandemic realities, curricular technification, and territorial disparities, while new pedagogical movements are developing from other teaching networks and decolonial approaches. From an interdisciplinary approach based on curricular concerns, critical pedagogy, and sociological and social constructivist theories, this research focuses on rethinking the teaching of social studies based on critical thinking, collective memory, and democratic action in a territorial and intercultural framework.