10.00
-
15.00
Bø, Auditorium 5-115
Bryan Andrés Solorzano Bajana is defending his dissertation for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.
The doctoral work has been carried out at the USN School of Business.
You are invited to follow the trial lecture and the public defence.
Summary
This thesis shows that Indigenous entrepreneurship in Ecuador is not only about creating businesses but about navigating unequal encounters where ideas, identities, and cultural values are constantly reshaped. A central dynamic is the translation of outside ideas.
When governments or NGOs promote “modern” business practices, these are never simply adopted. They are filtered, resisted, or adapted. Sometimes translation allows cultural values to remain central, but other times it pushes entrepreneurs into conformity with Western norms. What may look like technical support is in practice a struggle over whose knowledge counts.
These struggles over knowledge are directly tied to struggles over identity. As Indigenous entrepreneurs interact with international retailers, their identity as entrepreneurs is reshaped. Retailers often define them through simplified images of authenticity, turning culture into a marketing tool.
Entrepreneurs respond in different ways, at times embracing recognition, at times adapting, at times resisting. Their identities shift through these relationships, reflecting the unequal power of global trade.
These unequal relationships are also visible in domestic markets, which the thesis conceptualizes as a colonized market logic. Indigenous products are consistently undervalued because of racism and discrimination, which discourages entrepreneurs from relying on traditional knowledge and pushes them toward dependence on external actors. International markets may appear more promising, yet they frequently reproduce colonial hierarchies by treating Indigeneity as branding rather than as lived identity.
Taken together, these findings point to the need for a new understanding of the Indigenous entrepreneurial ecosystem. Unlike conventional models, this ecosystem is shaped by cultural guardianship, reciprocity, resilience, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge. Entrepreneurship in this context is not only economic activity but also a cultural practice that sustains identity and community in the face of systemic inequality.
Implications
The practical implications are clear. Policies must be co-created with Indigenous communities, with real attention to how ideas are translated and identities are negotiated. Markets must recognize that retailers hold power not only over prices but also over how Indigenous entrepreneurs are defined.
Strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem means protecting cultural values and addressing systemic racism at home, not simply providing financial support.
About the candidate
Bryan Solórzano, originally from Ecuador, has worked with Indigenous entrepreneurs both as a practitioner and a researcher. His doctoral work, based on extensive fieldwork, combines management studies with critical theories to uncover how entrepreneurship is shaped by colonial legacies and intercultural encounters.
The thesis challenges conventional understandings of entrepreneurship by showing it as a process of translation, identity negotiation, and cultural resilience.