The Role of Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Leadership

The Primary Theme in Indian Affairs

The primary theme in the reading on how Indian affairs are managed by the Bureau of Indian affairs analyzes the roles played by the tribal organizations in the governance of the Indian economy. The economy of a country plays a significant role in determining how the citizens of the country control and manage their affairs (Haggard, Stephan, and Robert 127). According to Tchamyou (112), the economy determines how leaders are chosen in a specific state. In the reading, the Indian culture has adopted the use of sovereign tribal associations which have power over the affairs of the citizens. Sovereignty enables a specific organization to formulate and enact laws which govern the relationship and association among the citizens of the country (Williams 163). An example of the tribal bureau of Indian affairs is portrayed by the type of governance that has been adopted by the Navajo nation in India. The Navajo nation is ruled by a council of elders who are referred to as the Navajo Tribal Council. Tribe, therefore, plays a significant role in the governance of the Indian community and affairs.

The Depiction of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

The elements of race, ethnicity, and gender have a substantial impact on the type of leaders that are elected in the Indian system of governance. The race is considered in the election of leaders because for an individual to be elected as a representative in the Navajo Tribal Council, they must be a member of the Navajo tribe. Being a member of the tribe enables an individual to preside over matters in the community because of the vast knowledge of the Indian custom and traditions (Cohn 8). According to (Hopkins 24), a member of the tribe also represents their communities because they have a vast understanding of the issues and concerns of the Indian community. Gender, on the other hand, affects the system of governance by only allowing the male individuals to constitute part of the Navajo Tribal Council. The traditional gender roles have a significant impact in the election of leaders which considers the role of leadership as a function of the male individuals in society. The article also compares the effect of race and gender in the type of governance adopted by the United States of America to determine the differences that exist in the global governments used by various countries.

Strength and Weakness

The article clearly reveals the functions of the government irrespective of the type that is used by a specific country. The significance of the existence of governments is a strength that is identified in the article. Governments play an essential role in the constitution of laws and regulations that regulate the relationship between members of the community (Wilson 72). Without laws, the community members would live in conflict and there would be no organization that would be responsible for the resolution of these conflicts. However, the article fails to point out the adverse impacts of adopting the traditional form of governance. Tradition governance that has been portrayed by the article leads to various forms of discrimination. Ethnic discrimination is a result of this type of leadership which only allows members of a specific tribe to take part in the community representation (Zschirnt, Eva, and Didier 55). The world has become a global world and different people from different ethnic backgrounds live together. Governments should, therefore, acknowledged the existence of diversity and incorporate this concept in their types of leadership. The article does not also identify the impacts of gender discrimination in leadership. According to Van der Vleuten (102), both The male and the female individual should be given equal chances to participate in leadership roles to enable a country to attain equal allocation of resources between the male and female individuals in the community.

Connection to Current Events

Current movements have increased the fight against traditional roles in society. The gender roles that were used in the community have faced criticism because the activities that are done by the male representation can be executed efficiently by the female in society. The world is currently encouraging the involvement of women in politics (Clatterbaugh 77). The last elections in the United States of America included Hillary Clinton in the presidential race which encouraged women to participate in leadership roles. The feminist movements, therefore, have played an essential role in depicting the current form of sovereignty that should exist in the current global economy.

Reflection of the Material

The above article enabled me to appreciate the extent to which globalization has impacted equality in the current world. A comparison of the characteristics of the Navajo Tribal Council and the democracy in the United States of America portrays the significance of equality. The modern government has enabled citizens to have the right to property and land ownership as opposed to the traditional tribal governance where land and property was owned communally by the council of elders. This article, therefore, enables one to appreciate a democratic government which is described as the government by the people, for the people and strives for societal equality.

Works Cited

Cohn, Bernard S. “Notes on the History of the Study of Indian Society and Culture.” Structure and

change in Indian society. Routledge, 2017. 3-28.

Clatterbaugh, Ken. Contemporary perspectives on masculinity: Men, women, and politics in

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 Haggard, Stephan, and Robert R. Kaufman. The politics of economic adjustment: international

constraints, distributive conflicts and the state. Princeton University Press, 2018.

Hopkins, John C. Structure and change in Indian society. Routledge, 2017.

Tchamyou, Vanessa Simen. ”The role of knowledge economy in African business.” Journal of the

Knowledge Economy 8.4 (2017): 118-122.

Van der Vleuten, Anna. The price of gender equality: Member states and governance in the

European Union. Routledge, 2016.

Williams, Shirley. ”Sovereignty and accountability in the European Community.” The New

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Wilson, Woodrow. Congressional government: A study in American politics. Routledge, 2017.

Zschirnt, Eva, and Didier Ruedin. ”Ethnic discrimination in hiring decisions: a meta-analysis of

correspondence tests 1990–2015.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 42.7 (2016): 111-113.