(Un)conventional monuments and transformist identities in the global south: the case of the ice cream and the tuna monuments in Ecuador

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the construction of local monuments in Ecuador and their role in transforming space and identity narratives in order to enter into the global economy. My analysis of two structures, The Ice Cream and The Tuna, which I conceptualise as (un)conventional monuments, focuses on three aspects: the planning and construction process, their relation to the space in which they are situated, and their role in processes of identity narrative construction. As a result of a multidisciplinary analysis that includes field observation, in-depth interviews, and the analysis of documents pertaining to the design and implementation of the structures, I argue that the monuments’ transformation of urban space is not so much a reflection of the local community features as of the authorities’ desire for legitimacy in the eyes of foreign and local visitors in an economic globalised context.