“Negro lazy and criminal”. Features of modern racism towards Afro-Ecuadorians
This study analyzes the key features of racism towards Afro-Ecuadorians. The article aims to study the origins of modern racism, its main types and racial stereo-types that are common in the country. The topic of racism towards Afro-Ecuadorians remains largely unexplored, since racial discrimination as such has been disputed in the country for a long time. Afro-Ecuadorians are in unfavorable socio-economic conditions. Black people is a minority in the country and, in accordance with the ideology of elites, the dark-skinned population does not only occupy lower positions in the structure of Ecuadorian society, but is often completely beyond the social and / or state architecture. Afro-Ecuadorians also face racial discrimination at the household, institutional and me-dia levels. In addition, we can observe multiple stereotypes that exist in Ecuadorian society. One of the most common stereotypes is the perception of African descendants as criminals. The media play an important role in the diffusion of these stereotypes. Despite certain legislative steps taken to limit racial discrimination, the problem of racism towards Afro-Ecuadorians is far from being resolved.