ETHNOCENTRISUM IN ECUADOR

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References

Brigham Young University. (n.d.). Republic of Ecuador. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from
Culture Grams website:
http://online.culturegrams.com/world/world_country_sections.php?contid=7&wmn=Sout
h_America&cid=45&cn=Ecuador&sname=Economy&snid=19
Summary: Ecuador is a very diverse country with natives and mestizos making up most
of the population. Ecuadors primary exports include oil and bananas. The indigenous
people of Ecuador were conquered by Spanish conquistadors. Today, the natives of
Ecuador are fighting for their rights and their land against any forces that try to
marginalize them.
Analysis of Article Validity: This website was very reliable. I found this website in our
library research center of our school. It had updated information of Ecuador and the
publisher, BYU, is a well-known and reliable source.
Focus of the Article: This website focused more on the background of the country of
Ecuador. It included the background of the natives and other ethnicities of people living
in Ecuador. This website focused on economical, governmental, and societal
issues/background. This website was a great start for our research and project. It helped
us identify what three background pieces of information we could do on this
ethnocentrism event. This website acted as a catalyst in our project.
Glaser, E. (2014, May 15). Chevron in Ecuador representative of multinationals continuing
abuse of Indigenous peoples. Retrieved October 9, 2014, from Truth-Out website:
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/23717-chevron-in-ecuador-representative-ofmultinationals-continuing-abuse-of-indigenous-peoples
Summary: Truth-Outs website article addressed the issue of Texaco not only abusing
the Indigenous people of Shushufindi, Ecuador, but also how they have polluted their
water sources and turned their homes into an industry base. Chevron, now owned by
Texaco, is refusing to pay the 18 billion, now 9.5 billion, required to clean up the
pollution they have caused. Erica Glaser, a second-year student at Columbia University
and author of the article, states the problem of Indigenous people being uninformed and
left out of the decisions that affect their land.

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Analysis of Article Validity: This website is reliable because of the sources the author
has given the reader. I feel like it, once again, coincided with all the other source
information. Erica Glaser, a sophomore at Columbia University, is a reliable author in the
way she presented her article: clear, concise, and detailed. She included quotes from
interviews with the natives. The research in her article also appears in our project as well
as our other sources.
Focus of the Article: The article focused on Texacos refusal to pay for the cleanup of
the pollution theyve caused. They are also refusing to clean up after themselves. The
articles main focus is how Texaco tried to cover up the damages theyve done by poorly
covering up the pits of left over toxic wastes. This article was useful in gathering more
information of how Texaco tried covering up the damages theyve done. It also helped us
determine how the damages affected the natives.
Keefe, P. (n.d.). Reversal of fortune. The New Yorker. Retrieved from
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/09/reversal-of-fortune-2
Summary: Today, the jungle outpost of Lago Agrio in Ecuador is filled with criminals
and pollution due to Texaco drilling for oil. The buildings and surrounding towns look
destitute. Because of these conditions, a group of Ecuadorian residents took Texaco to
court in 1993. The legal struggle bore no fruit and continued while Texaco drilled in
Lago Agrio. However, the company ceased production and drilling in 1992, leaving a
path of destruction and pollution in Ecuador. The case continued on for 18 years until
Judge Zambrano finally made his decision. The ligation outlasted Texaco, who was
bought by Chevron. Chevron inherited the lawsuit in 2001 and continues on today.
Analysis of Article Validity: I felt that this article was reliable because it presented the
facts and the authors opinion was not influencing it. The staff writer, Keefe, has written
about extensive topics around the world. He primary sources (interviews) with the
lawyers involved and those involved in the lawsuit against Ecuador. This article is
extremely detailed and extensive.
Focus of the Article: This article focused on the lawsuit against Texaco. It acted more as
a timeline of facts and events in our research. It helped us in identifying the when in
our project. It was very helpful in helping us figure out where all these events fit together.
The article also focused on the primary lawyer involved in the case. This lawyer fought
very hard for the natives of Ecuador and the land Texaco destroyed.
Kennedy, K. (2010, March 18). Chevron and Cultural Genocide in Ecuador. Retrieved October
9, 2014, from Huffington Post website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kerrykennedy/chevron-and-cultural-geno_b_346257.html

ETHNOCENTRISUM IN ECUADOR

Summary: Texaco has turned Ecuador into an oily wasteland. Between the years of 1964
and 1990, Texaco has drilled about 350 wells across the vast 2,700 square miles of land
in the Amazon Rainforest. The oil company has taken about $30 billion in profit from the
land. This resulted in the dumping of 18 billion gallons of toxic soup, which is another
way to say production water. The toxic soup consists of oil sulfuric acid and carcinogens
that have been dumped into the river of the Amazon Rainforest. This river, and other
streams affected by the toxic water, is the primary source of water for drinking, bathing,
and fishing for the natives.
Analysis of Article Validity: This newspaper article is fairly reliable. The author does
insert her opinion here and there. The article is mostly through her own personal account
and what the natives have said to her.In the article, however, there were many facts about
how much waste was dumped in the river, how many people died, and how much damage
was caused that coincided with our other sources. Kerry Kennedy, the author, is a
reporter who mostly investigates cases that go against human rights.
Focus of the Article: The article focuses on the damages caused by the Texaco drilling.
It focuses on the natives personal accounts of contact with Texaco workers. This article
was useful in identifying the outcomes and consequences that Texaco has caused and will
face. I think that this article helped us a great deal in our research. The author also stated
her opinion at the end of the article but presented the facts first and fairly.
Kingsolver, B. (1998). The poisonwood bible. New York, NY: HarperFlamingo.
Lee, D., & Lee, E. (2010). Human rights and the ethics of globalization. Retrieved from
http://books.google.com/books?id=gP1XqdS5DGAC&lpg=PA232&dq=texaco%20ecuad
or&pg=PA232#v=onepage&q=texaco%20ecuador&f=false
Summary: In the Sequihua v. Texaco case, a group of residents in Ecuador sued Texaco,
a huge oil company, for the damages they have caused to the land and people. During the
oil exploration led by Texaco, the company dumped tons and tons of toxic waste in the
river, streams, and the Amazon Rainforest in the Oriente region of Ecuador. The toxic
waste contaminated the environment to the extent of injuring over 500,000 residents of
Ecuador, including natives.
Analysis of Article Validity: This book seemed extremely reliable because of the
concrete detail it provided. The case of the Sequihua v Texaco was clearly explained. The
case summary included how the defendants and plaintiffs were as well as how was
injured and how many. The information in this book coincided with the other facts we
found in our other sources. The book also included many other tribes that sued Texaco
and a detailed summary of each case.

ETHNOCENTRISUM IN ECUADOR

Focus of the Article: This book answered the who question in our research and final
product. We were able to also understand the why behind what Texaco did. The book
allowed us to determine if there was a final verdict in each one of the cases against
Texaco. The main idea of the book was to summarize the findings and decisions of each
case.
Olsen, J. (n.d.). =. Environmental problems and ethical jurisdiction: the case concerning Texaco
in Ecuador. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/14678608.00214/abstract
Summary: Many ethical and and environmental issues must be applied before making a
concrete decision in the Texaco case. Many multinational companies, such as Texaco,
have different attitudes towards other countries and how they treat those countries.
Corporate policy makers have to address many national differences before any decisions
are made. Ethical jurisdiction and many other factors have played a role in the alleged
contamination of Ecuadors Amazon jungle by Texaco.
Analysis of Article Validity: This article isnt as reliable as all the other sources
presented. It is just a small introduction of a paper and we couldnt access the real paper
without paying. The author was an Associate Professor of Marketing in Sonoma
University, which would make him fairly reliable. However, the information presented
was slightly confusing to the reader and I was careful when using this source in the
presentation.
Focus of the Article: The article did help in explaining why the judges are taking so long
in making a decision for this case. There are many factors that need to be considered
before any definite ruling can be made. I did not feel that it provided me with any other
important information other than why the ruling was taking so long. I do not consider this
a reliable article. I have no doubt in the authors credibility; I wish we couldve used a
different source with more information. The article only focused on marketing the case.