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Cherokee Political Thought and the Development of Tribal Citizenship

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2020

Aaron Kushner Open the ORCID record for Aaron Kushner [Opens in a new window]
Aaron Kushner*
Affiliation:
The School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, Arizona State University
*
E-mail: arkushne@asu.edu
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Abstract

Citizenship, a fundamental political idea, exists in many forms in the United States. In this study, I apply the analytical strategies of American political development to examine the evolution of Cherokee constitutional citizenship law since 1827. The lack of political development studies on Cherokee governance presents a unique opportunity to identify foundational and second-story ideas underpinning Cherokee political thought. I contribute to the ongoing discussion of indigenous political development by creating a new theoretical framework for interpreting and analyzing durable shifts in Cherokee citizenship law. As America expands and diversifies, alternate, nonliberal views of citizenship increase in political relevance. Understanding why certain laws exist and where they came from is crucial for cultivating political engagement, engaging in productive discourse, and creating humanizing policies.

Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in American Political Development , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , April 2021 , pp. 1 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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110. Duthu, American Indians, xvi.

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126. The Cherokee Nation v. Raymond Nash et al. and Marilyn Vann et al. and Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, and the U.S. Department of the Interior, 13-01313 (TFH) (United States District Court for the District of Columbia, 2017).

127. An Act Relating to the Process of Enrolling as a Member of the Cherokee Nation, Legislative Act 6-92.

128. Lemont, “Overcoming the Politics of Reform,” 288.

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