Educación intercultural y gastronomía: estrategias innovadoras para el aprendizaje del inglés en la universidad ecuatoriana

Intercultural education is a reality that is becoming more and more established in countries like Ecuador, which have a multiethnic context linked to the dynamics that intertwine different symbolic universes and traditions. In this same order of ideas, gastronomy as a social phenomenon can result in an innovative resource that, if used pedagogically for teaching the English language, can contribute to strengthening identity and intercultural dialogue, particularly in the university context. However, beyond the Ecuadorian reality, in today's globalized world, it is essential that university education considers learning the English language as part of that protean integration into the labor world that awaits the country's future professionals. Thus, the objective of this article is to characterize innovative strategies for learning English in Ecuadorian universities, based on the use of gastronomy as a teaching resource. It is clear that, from the point of view of pedagogy, the teaching-learning process of English for university students is not limited to the transmission of linguistic skills, but requires an understanding of the cultural differences that influence their use, and this must permeate the educational strategies of teachers. The methodological process on which this article was based included a critical hermeneutics of the academic production that has been developed on the subject, particularly that which directly concerns the university environment of Ecuador. In this regard, articles and other texts located on specialized sites such as Google Scholar, Dialnet and Redalyc were used. Among the most significant findings is the reaffirmation of educational strategies based on gastronomy that, when teaching the English language, revalue the cultural traits themselves, maintaining diversity as a notable axiological element and not as a problem to overcome.