University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations Dissertations and Theses July 2016 Ideological Conflict Embedded in Anthropology and the Road to Restructuring the Discipline Donna L. Moody University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2 Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Moody, Donna L., "Ideological Conflict Embedded in Anthropology and the Road to Restructuring the Discipline" (2016). Doctoral Dissertations. 712. https://doi.org/10.7275/8186158.0 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_2/712 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ideological Conflict Embedded in Anthropology and the Road to Restructuring the Discipline A Dissertation Presented by DONNA L. MOODY Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY May 2016 Department of Anthropology © Copyright by Donna L. Moody 2016 All Rights Reserved Ideological Conflict Embedded in Anthropology and the Road to Restructuring the Discipline A Dissertation Presented by DONNA L. MOODY Approved as to style and content by: ____________________________________________ Jean S. Forward, Chair ____________________________________________ Robert Paynter, Member ____________________________________________ Leah Wing, Member ___________________________________ Jacqueline Urla, Department Chair Department of Anthropology DEDICATION To the spirit of Vine Deloria, Jr. and all who struggle for Indigenous Rights ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must begin by thanking and honoring my ancestors, all of those grandmothers and grandfathers who came before, but especially those brave-hearted women who provided me with life, knowledge, and a rootedness in this world. They set my feet upon this path and sustained me throughout the journey. Ktsi wlini negônzosak. I would like to thank my advisor, committee chair, and dear friend Dr. Jean Forward for the many years of encouragement and hard work in guiding me to the completion of this dissertation. I want to thank the other two members of my committee, Dr. Robert Paynter and Dr. Leah Wing. Dr. Paynter has been a strong editor, gently guiding me to be a better writer and has been a constant friend. Dr. Wing has provided me with new areas of knowledge, but has also shown me, by personal example, that knowledge, compassion, and gentleness can be quiet manifestations of strength; I have learned much from her in these areas. These three have consistently pushed me to achieve levels of scholarship I didn’t know I possessed and they have always been my mentors, friends, and role models throughout this endeavor. Thank you to Dr. Ingrid Bracey and Dr. Shekhar Regmi of UWW. Their support from my undergrad days to present has been overwhelming. I would like to thank Dr. Martin Wobst for being the first to push me to pursue graduate studies. Also Dr. Eric Johnson for his unwavering support and encouragement. I want to acknowledge the support and friendship of Dr. David Stewart-Smith, Dr. Robert Goodby and Dr. Siobhan Senier, each who credit me with far more brilliance than I possess. I also want to thank my good friend and sister Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel for her unwavering and constant encouragement throughout the writing of this dissertation. v Dr. Diane Lewis, who passed in August of 2015, deserves special acknowledgment for the groundbreaking work she accomplished in 1973 in recognizing the relationship between Anthropology and colonization. I am grateful for her voice and efforts to transform the discipline. There are so many others who have encouraged me, pushed me when needed, and always done so with love and friendship; Kasey Jernigan, Dr. Akeia Benard, Dr. Linda Ziegenbein, Dr. Katie Kirakosian, Dr. Milena Marchesi, Dr. Drew Lopenzina, Dr. Tim McKeown, along with the many friends who consistently said, “you can do this,” and all of the members of my graduate cohort. And of course, the girls in the office who keep us all on-track; Shelley Bellor Silva, Debbie Averill, and Grace Rock. Thank you all. Special acknowledgement goes out to my two sons, Rob Charlebois and Chris Charlebois, and their families for their encouragement, support, and understanding when I missed family events. Also a special thank you to my daughter-in-law Liz Charlebois for the support provided during the dark days of writing. Cousins Bunny Lake, Diane Candee, and Danny Carvalho have provided unending encouragement and love. I owe a special debt of gratitude to the tribal leaders and elders who graciously provided personal interviews during my research, along with all who participated in the focus group surveys. My deepest gratitude, wrapped in eternal love, goes to my husband John Moody. He has been ever-present throughout the thinking, writing, tears, and accomplishments; the constant voice each time I was ready to quit, telling me that “the best revenge is to survive and thrive.” Without John’s love, support, and encouragement none of this would have been possible. N’kazeldemi kia Azô. vi ABSTRACT IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICT EMBEDDED IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE ROAD TO RESTRUCTURING THE DISCIPLINE MAY 2016 DONNA L. MOODY, B.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST M.A., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST PhD., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Jean S. Forward Keywords: Native American; Indigenous; Indian; Indigenous College Education; Anthropology; Colonization; Imperialism. Indigenous people have long-held perceptions of the existence of ideological conflicts between indigenous worldview and Western worldview. Western worldview is understood by indigenous people to be embodied in American Anthropology as a discipline and, by extension, in American anthropologists. These conflicts may be considered the genesis of a divide that began with the colonization of the indigenous world and one which continues to sustain the on-going marginalization and oppression of Native populations by a colonizing society; a society which considers indigenous worldview to be an unsubstantiated belief system, while not recognizing that the science upon which anthropological thought is built is itself a belief system and one which reflects a Western worldview. In examining the history of the ideological conflicts between indigenous people and Anthropology, the long-term results of the conflicts, and considering ways in which the divide may be narrowed, two broad questions were conceived as a beginning point of vii study: “is ideological conflict within American Anthropology a manifestation of colonization and, if so, is some form of resolution possible?” From these two related questions, at least three other questions logically follow and it is these questions upon which the dissertation heavily focuses: first, how does the difference between traditional indigenous forms of knowledge conflict with mainstream anthropological thought? Second, what have been the effects of these differences in efforts to make Anthropology a more inclusive discipline; for example, in graduate studies for indigenous students and the formation of professional level organizations? Finally, is a rapprochement possible, and under what conditions? The continued marginalization of indigenous perspectives raises a number of questions in the minds of indigenous practitioners; questions such as, “why are indigenous knowledge systems excluded from Western pedagogy?” And in particular, “why are indigenous knowledge systems excluded from anthropological pedagogy?” These questions have led indigenous anthropologists to seek ways in which to create a space for expanded and respectful dialogue. The generous participation of indigenous graduate students, indigenous and non- indigenous anthropologists, and the voices of Native American tribal leaders and tribal elders of New England provide an invaluable contribution to this dissertation. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v ABSTRACT......................................................................................................................vii CHAPTER 1. IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICT EMBEDDED IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE ROAD TO RESTRUTURING THE DISCIPLINE: AN INTRODUCTION..................1 A. Chapter 2: Theory and Method ...........................................................................4 1. Theory ......................................................................................................4 a. Critical Race Theory (CRT) .........................................................5 b. Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit)......................................5 2. Method .....................................................................................................6 a. Research and Positionality ...........................................................6 b. Indigenous Research ....................................................................7 c. Ethnographic Techniques .............................................................7 d. Writing Style ................................................................................7