Social Identity and Ethnic Interaction in the Western Pueblos of the American Southwest

With the increasing realization of the frequency of migration in prestratified societies, our understanding of ethnic interaction needs to become more sophisticated. This paper discusses ethnic interaction in prestratified societies on a theoretical level by examining currently used models based on Barth's concepts of interaction (Barth, F., Ethnic Groups and Boundaries, Little, Brown, Boston, 1969, pp. 9–39) and Bourdieu's concept of habitus (Bourdieu, P., Outline of a Theory of Practice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1977). These current models are flawed, and an alternative model relying on reflexive decisions by agents who are constrained by their place within the existing social structure is presented. This model is then used to examine ethnic identity in Western Pueblo societies in three areas of central Arizona: Point of Pines, Grasshopper, and Silver Creek. All three areas were locations of prehistoric migration and subsequent interaction between migrants and indigenous peoples. However, the nature of the interaction differed considerably, with ethnicity being emphasized in some places, de-emphasized in others, and ignored all together in still others.