Identity and Culture: A Cultural Interpretation of the Hopi-Navajo Land Dispute
Vivat Academia, No. 111, pp. 35-47, 2010
13 Pages Posted: 26 Jul 2010
Date Written: April 14, 2010
Abstract
This interpretive essay provides a socio-cultural explanation of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute based on the rich narrative account of the conflict by Benedek (1999). A macro-level of analysis is taken so as to identify the general trends of the conflict. SPITCEROW, the acronym for a simple analytical instrument, is used to identify the main components of the overall conflict. Finally an analytical section explains the conflict through the use of the Social Identity Theory and supports it by using a broad cultural approach. The paper concludes that identity needs were at the core of the conflict and that once those issues were addressed and satisfactorily resolved, secondary issues were amicably negotiated and a settlement was reached.
Keywords: Ethnic Conflict, Identity Politics, Land Dispute, Conflict Analysis
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