Publication Date

Winter 12-1-2013

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the long-term impacts of tribal economic development programs on the cultural preservation efforts of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI). Since the 1970s the Mississippi Choctaw have initiated many different economic enterprises ranging from manufacturing plants to resort development, owning and operating a diversified portfolio of manufacturing, service, retail, and tourism enterprises. This history of engaging with western business models offers a unique perspective for analyzing the long-term effects of these practices on a tribal community. My work with the MBCI engages a long debate over the use of capitalist business models in tribal economic development strategies. My research examines the Mississippi Choctaw Nations negotiations with capitalist economic development and western cultural forms as a dialectical interaction. By studying the MBCI's contemporary tribal economic development programs I hope to shift the conversation towards seeing them within an Indigenous paradigm of adaptation, negotiation, and change. In this research I am exploring whether or not the conscious utilization of capitalist economic development programs by the MBCI has reinforced and strengthened their cultural sovereignty.'

Keywords

Choctaw, Tribal Economic Development, Native North America, Cultural Preservation

Project Sponsors

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Anthropology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Anthropology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Beverly R. Singer

Second Committee Member

Les W. Field

Third Committee Member

Lloyd Lee

Fourth Committee Member

Joe E. Watkins

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