Globalization and the corporate sponsorship of Navajo education: New perspectives on assimilation

Abstract

When contemporary Native American education in the United States with its historical legacy of ideological management and vocational training, is grafted upon the broader context of modern public education, an ominous threat appears for indigenous communities. What happens to the nature of public education when two principal homogenizing forces--the corporation and the public school--become partners, involving business and industry directly in the education of native youth? This thesis examines the history and philosophy behind the corporate presence in United States public education, the nature and extent of contemporary corporate sponsorship in mainstream education, and the implications of such sponsorship for Navajo students in one public school district in northern New Mexico. The research presented finds that the various forms and objectives of corporate-sponsored education, invariably carrying latent marketing agendas, homogenizing forces, and consumerist values, constitute another potential instrument of assimilation of indigenous students.