Resistance Theory and the Transculturation Hypothesis

25Resistance TheoryAccording to resistance theory, a variety of sources within the educational arena mayindict minority cultures (Erickson, 1987; Pottinger, 1989). For instance, predominantpedagogical styles, the curriculum of the school, the behavioral expectations, thepersonal prejudices of school personnel (among other factors) often convey overt andcovert messages that devalue the culture, heritage, and identity of minority students.Resistance theory asserts that during the educational endeavor, minority individualsactively resist and reject the implicit and explicit messages attacking their ethnic identity(Erickson, 1987). Under such conditions, educational achievement falters.Specifically, resistance theory contends that minority students are not passive socialactors in this drama. These students actively work to protect their ethnic identity.Resistance, in this sense, is a means of coping with a subordinated social position aswell as preserving a distinct social identity (Ogbu, 1987). As a young man from theSisseton reservation (South Dakota) challenged: “I believe in my Indian ways so muchthat I would quit school because our old ways are dying out!”Referring to such survival strategies, Erickson distinguishes between “culturalboundaries” and “cultural borders” (1987, p.345). For Erickson, cultural boundaries “canbe thought of as behavioral evidence of culturally differing standards ofappropriateness” (p. 345). Cultural boundaries are simply the fact that different groupsspeak, act, and think in distinct ways. In essence, cultural boundaries represent thenormative expectations held by respective cultural groups. Moreover, Erickson stressesthat the recognition of cultural differences is itself socially and politically neutral. That is,25