The dialogical understanding of framing: the Cherokee Nation’s struggle to retain Indian Territory

Abstract

The focus of my paper is on the frames and counterframes used by the Cherokee Nation and the United States federal government and lobbyists, respectively, in the conflict over the fate of the Indian Territory. Applying Marc Steinberg’s dialogic approach (1999) to the Cherokee Nation’s defense of their treaty-assured land and political status provides insight into the nature of frame construction and use in the context of power differentials between groups. Steinberg’s dialogic approach is helpful in illustrating both the constraints and opportunities that the Cherokees confronted in their framing strategies. The Cherokee Nation and its political opponents struggled with one another through the use of their frames to shape the hegemonic discourse and thus understandings of who should control the land