Media and Ethnic Identity

Description

Media and Ethnic Identity carries a Native American perspective to media and its role in ethnic identity construction. This perspective is gained through a case study of the Hopis, who live in northeast Arizona and are known for their devotion to their indigenous culture.

The research data is built on a number of interviews with Hopis of a variety of ages from nine villages. The study also makes use of the results of a survey of a large number of students in the Hopi Jr./Sr. High School. The framework for examining the research data is intercultural communication (both interpersonal and media-mediated) between an indigenous group and a majority from the viewpoint of the indigenous group.

This book provides tools for understanding the experiences of communication between social and political minorities and majorities from the indigenous perspective.

Reviews

"Ritva Levo-Henriksson has done three remarkable things: she has broken new ground in communications scholarship; she has effectively and respectfully communicated information about Hopi media and identity in northern Arizona in the south-western United States; and she has formed an ethically exemplary, mututally trusting relationship with people who are famously un-trusting of outsiders… With care and respect, [Levo-Henriksson] has opened a window on a community which has been long closed, and a door to transcultural communication."

-Valerie Alia, Ethical Space: The International Journal of Communication Ethics

"Media and Ethnic Identity reminds us that the relationship between the electronic media and the people of enduring cultures, like Hopis, merits further study."

-- New Mexico Historical Review, Spring 2009

Contents

1. Media and Ethnic Identity 2. Native Americans, Media and New Information and Communication Technology 3. Hopis Communicating with the Mainstream 4. Hopi Views on Mainstream Media 5. Hopi Identity Construction in the Context of Media 6. Constructing Identity in a Mediated World

Author Bio

Ritva Levo-Henriksson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communication at the University of Helsinki. She has a Doctorate in Social Sciences from University of Helsinki and is the author of Eyes upon Wings: Culture in Finnish and US Television News.

Related Subjects

1. Communication Studies
2. Mass Media & Communication
3. Race & Ethnicity
4. Sociology of Media
5. Ethnography & Methodology
6. Indigenous Peoples
7. Ethnic Identity
8. Intercultural Communication