Doctoral Dissertation Research: Activism and the Cultural Politics of Scale: The Case of the American Indian Movement

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Social movements take form and evolve in response to the complex interaction among many different geographic, political, cultural, and economic factors. While the latter factors have been examined extensively, far less attention has been given to the geographic dimensions of social movements, particularly changes that occur when movements focus their attention on issues and locales of different geographic scales. This doctoral dissertation research project will focus on the impact of space and geographic scale on the geographic activities and influence of the American Indian Movement (AIM) from its establishment in 1968 to the present. Special attention will be given to AIM's transformation from a small organization focusing on a very local and specific set of issues in Minneapolis to a truly national organization addressing a broad range of American Indian concerns that gained international renown through its occupation of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, a place far more important for its political symbolism than its natural resources. This project will explore the changing geography of AIM's activities from its founding to the height of its influence in 1973 and then through its decline in influence during the 1980s and 1990s. Primary research will focus on archival materials, including those from AIM, the FBI, and local police and court records. Attention also will be given to how the group's activities were represented through print and television media. This project will contribute to contemporary theories of the role of boundaries and scale in the cultural politics of space, place, and social movements. It will offer a deeper understanding of the spatial dynamics of American political activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s, thereby adding to understandings of relationship among culture, space, and political activism. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.