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Bravo for the Marshallese: Regaining Control in a Post-Nuclear, Post-Colonial World » (1st Edition)

Book cover image of Bravo for the Marshallese: Regaining Control in a Post-Nuclear, Post-Colonial World by Holly M. Barker

Authors: Holly M. Barker
ISBN-13: 9780534613266, ISBN-10: 0534613268
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Cengage Learning
Date Published: August 2003
Edition: 1st Edition

Author Biography: Holly M. Barker

Holly Barker is an applied anthropologist who has over 13 years of experience working in the Marshall Islands and with political leaders in the Marshall Islands, first as a Peace Corps volunteer on Mili Atoll, and later as the Senior Advisor to the Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Washington D.C. Holly obtained her Ph.D. in Anthropology from American University in Washington D.C. and is currently Senior Advisor to the RMI Ambassador.

Book Synopsis

This case study recounts the story of the people of the Marshall Islands and their response to American nuclear weapons testing. It describes their efforts to understand the effects of nuclear contamination and to hold the U.S. government accountable for its tests. Barker presents the accounts she collected from Marshallese families, including discussions of the effects of the radiation on their environment, families, social life, and culture. Barker holds a doctorate in anthropology, and is now affiliated with the Embassy of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

	Foreword	xi
	Preface	xiii
	Introduction	1
Chapter 1	Setting the Stage: Geography, Social/Political Organization, and the Language of the Marshall Islands	4
	Location and Ecology	4
	Early Migration	9
	Social and Political Structure	9
	The Marshallese Language and Its Dialects	11
Chapter 2	A Colonial History of the Marshall Islands	15
	Colonial Expansion	15
	U.S. Naval Administration of the Marshall Islands	17
	The Arrival of Anthropologists	24
	Move toward Self-Governance	29
	Compact of Free Association	29
Chapter 3	The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Testing Program	33
	The Official U.S. Government Account of the Events	33
	Limitations in U.S. Government Responsibility	35
	Recently Declassified U.S. Government Documents	38
	Conclusion	49
Chapter 4	Ethnography and a Marshallese Narrative of History	50
	Witness Testimonies: March 1, 1954--The Day the U.S. Government Detonated the Bravo Shot	51
	Witness Testimonies: Evacuation and the Decontamination Process	53
	Witness Testimonies: Birth Defects	53
	Witness Testimonies: Other Medical and Environmental Problems	55
	Witness Testimonies: Interactions with U.S. Government Medical Providers and Scientists	56
	A Marshallese Narrative of History	57
	Conclusion	59
Chapter 5	Alienation from the Land: The Rongelap Experience	60
	Importance of Geography	60
	Importance of Land	61
	Damage, Injury, and Loss	64
	Movements of the Community	64
	Human Environmental Interactions	64
	Experiences in Exile	67
	Loss of Self-sufficiency	68
	Burial	70
	Stigma/Psychological Problems	72
	Social Consequences of Loss of Land	74
	Conclusion	78
Chapter 6	Language and the Testing Program	79
	Radiation and a Colonial Language of Control	80
	Language as Resistance	82
	Conclusion	96
Chapter 7	Uncovering Themes in Linguistic Data	97
	Assigning Responsibility	98
	Powerlessness	102
	Women's Reproductive Illnesses	105
	A Unique Marshallese Radiation Language	111
	Conclusion	114
Chapter 8	Changed Circumstances: A Petition to the U.S. Congress	115
	Advisory Committee on Changed Circumstances	117
	Content of the Petition	117
	Review of the Petition	119
	Conclusion	120
Chapter 9	Other Case Studies	121
	Hiroshima/Nagasaki	121
	French Polynesia	124
	Chernobyl	127
	Nevada	130
	Hanford	132
	Subjects of Human Radiation Experimentation	136
	Conclusion	138
Chapter 10	Methodology and Community Empowerment	140
	Developing Bonds of Trust	140
	Learning the Language	141
	Archival Research	141
	Access to Information	141
	Building on the Work of Others	141
	Life Story and Oral History Collection	142
	Local Counterparts and Key Informants	143
	Public Education and Training of Students	143
	Transcription and Translation	145
	Observation	146
	Expect to Be Challenged	147
	Fieldnotes	148
	Repeat Visits to the Field	148
	The Policy Realm	148
	Methods of the NCT Project	149
	Conclusion	151
Chapter 11	A Broader Understanding of the Consequences of the Testing Program	153
	Flaws in the U.S. Government's Accounting of History	154
	A New Narrative of History	156
	Looking toward the Future	158
	Bibliography	159
Appendix	Categories for Personal Injury Awards, Nuclear Claims Tribunal	165
	Glossary	167
	Credits	168
	Index	169

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Bravo for the Marshallese: Regaining Control in a Post-Nuclear, Post-Colonial World » (1st Edition)

Author Biography: Holly M. Barker

Book Synopsis

Table of Contents

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