Resistance Theory and the Transculturation Hypothesis

5Macrostructural ExplanationsAlthough not as clearly labeled in the literature as the former framework, the secondmajor theoretical orientation on cultural conflict may be referred to as macrostructuralexplanations. This perspective assumes that social/structural forces beyond the realmof the individual are the source of cultural conflict and, as such, are responsible for thelack of educational success among minorities. In effect, “children’s school learningproblems are ultimately caused by historical and structural forces beyond their control”(Ogbu, 1985).Perhaps best represented by the work of anthropologist John Ogbu (1978, 1981,1982, 1987), macrostructural explanations contend that cultural discontinuity scholarsfocus too heavily on micro-level phenomena that are in reality only the trappings of truecultural dilemmas. Ogbu likens the educational experience of American Indians tothose of other “castelike minorities” (1978, p. 217). For Ogbu, racial minorities(including American Indians) have been subjugated to a racially inferior status andsubsequently are continually afforded a virtually meaningless educational menu.Moreover, for racial minorities in the United States, life changes are restricted andrelatively predictable. Because of a social status that operates much like a caste in ahighly regimented society, opportunities for educational (and particularly economicsuccess) are scarce. Thus, the fate of racial minorities, educational and otherwise, istied to the social/structural composition of society itself.MethodThis paper results from a five-year research project involving in-depth interviews with 695