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A Soldier's Buen Vivir: Social Inclusion in the Ecuadorian Armed Forces

Abstract:

This article examines the connections between Buen Vivir, a radical approach to socially inclusive development in Latin America, and equality policies developed by the Ministry of Defence for the Ecuadorian armed forces. Drawing on extensive qualitative research on the Ecuadorian military, this article explores and compares the implementation of policies on crosscutting themes such as gender, interculturality and class. This article adds to the existing literature on the question of whether Buen Vivir has fostered equality, taking a closer look at specific Ecuadorian national policies of social inclusion. The research suggests that for the Ecuadorian military, this entails a militarisation of equality through gender equity policies and an intercultural focus.