ABSTRACT
Conflict theorists have begun to reassess the contribution of cultural factors to social and political conflict. Conflict theories in political sociology—whether Marxist or Weberian—assume that dominants and subordinates normally contest each other for power. By examining two cases this chapter attempts to describe some features of cultural conflict between dominant and subordinate groups in the United States. The first case—the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday—involves the symbolic recognition of a subordinate racial group. The second—the films of Spike Lee—involves a cinematic challenge to the interpretation of race relations traditionally favored by white dominants. The campaign to secure the holiday demonstrates how legislative and electoral politics in the United States sometimes favor subordinate group cultural demands. More important than public reaction to the legislative process is the public response to the King holiday once in place.
