Systems of arrogance: Technology and the work of Navajo resistance. Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Sherry, John William. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 03/10/2021 21:41:23 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/187442 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Infonnation Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313n61-4700 800/521-0600 SYSTEMS OF ARROGANCE: TECHNOLOGY AND THE WORK OF NAVAlO RESISTANCE by John W. Sherry Copyright © John William Sherry, 1995 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1995 UMI Number: 9624147 Copyright 1995 by Sherry, John William All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9624147 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by ___J_o_hn ___ W_i_I_I_i_am ___ s_h_e_rry __________________ _ entitled Systems of Arrogance: Technology and the Work of Navajo Resistance. and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 1/-5-;\ --- Date 11-3-/6- Susan Philips, PhD. Date ;~L «hLs Edwin Hutchins, PhD. Date Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. Date Jane H. Hill, PhD. 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under the rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .................. '" ... ...... ... ......... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 LIST OF TABLES... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 ABSTRACT............................................................................................. 7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... 18 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH SETTING... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 47 CHAPTER 4: "THAT'S WHERE THE REAL WORK IS ... ": Dialogue, politics and the cultural process... ..................... ... ......... ... ... ............... ...... ... ............ ............. 92 CHAPTER 5: COOPERATION AND POWER... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... 143 CHAPTER 6: DINE CARE'S ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 181 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION......... ............................................. ......... ... ...... 246 APPENDIX A... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 255 REFERENCES... ... ...... ...... ... ............... ......... ............... ............ ......... ......... 256 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 2.1: Schematic comparison of two multiple level approaches. Hutchins (1995) and Marr (1982), and Rasmussen et al (1994)... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... ..... 21 Figure 3.1: Map of the Navajo Nation showing four sacred mountains (traditional Navajo boundaries) plus areas of environmentally impacting development projects. Map courtesy of KeIley and Francis (1994)... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... 51 Figure 3.2. Bar graphs of responses to survey question "What useslbenefits of the forest do you (your clients) value most?" for selected groups of respondents. Bar graphs reprinted from (Gordon et aI, 1993)... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .... 71 Figure 4.1 "Health of Forest Improved by Industry." Dine CARE paid advertisement parodying previously run advertisement of Navajo Forest Product Industries...................................... 138 Figure 6.1. Continual plane of basis of motivation and centralization of control in interactional coordination. Vertical component (motivational basis) based on Habermas (1984). Horizontal component (control) based on Hutchins (1995). Both components derived from Dine CARE's organizational model... ... ... ... ... .. .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... 186 6 LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1. Comparison of appraised commercial acreage, annual allowable cut (maximum allowable harvest) and average annual timber offer (actual harvest) for years 1989-1992 of ponderosa pine forests in the American Southwest. ................................................ 69 Table 5.1: Number of hardware and software problems requiring technical assistance, classified by type, for two Dine CARE home office locations, for a one year period beginning August, 1993................................................................................. 178 Table 6.1 : Distribution of technologies among Dine CARE's Core Group of activists ........... , ... 212 Table 6.2a: Comparison of meetings and telephone conferences for mean length of turns at talk, and mean frequency of Navajo code use ....................................... '" ... ... ... ..... 226 Table 6.2b: Comparison of meetings and telephone conferences for mean frequency of several types of intelference phenomena ........................... '" ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...... 227 Table 6.3: Comparison of editing practices associated with the collaborative production of documents via fax and computer file transfer between Navajo members of Dine CARE and non-Navajo associates................................................................................. 230 Table 6.4: Comparison of sources and subsequent uses of documents received by fax at two home offices of Dine CARE members................................................................. 235 7 ABSTRACT This dissertation adopts the perspective of Cognitive Ethnography to examine the work of a grassroots, Navajo environmental organization called Dine Citizens Against Ruining our Environment. Specifically, I will examine the work and the challenges facing the members of this organization in order to evaluate how new communications and infonnation technologies may be of use to them. This analysis begins, as Cognitive Ethnography mandates, with a general description of the tasks which constitute the work of Dine CARE. As will be discussed, these consist primarily in attempts to reassert what the organization's members consider to be traditional Navajo perspectives on economic development and the human relationship with the natural environment. Subsequently, I analyze the representations, measurements of work, and fonns of organization required to accomplish Dine CARE's tasks. In all aspects of the work, members were constantly required to manage a dialogue between their preferred means of organizing or representing work, and the means required by the operating environment in which they found themselves, characterized