Memories of war : Micronesians in the Pacific War /
Suzanne Falgout, Lin Poyer, Laurence M. Carucci.
- x, 275 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-265) and index.
Backgrounds -- "Micronesia" -- Cultural Memories and the Pacific War -- Micronesian Understandings of the Pacific War -- The Meaning of War -- The Shock of War -- Hardship and Suffering -- Combat Experiences -- Micronesian Vantage Points -- "It Was Not Our War" -- The Typhoon of War -- Questions of Loyalty -- Micronesian Responses to Wartime Pressures -- Cultural Themes in Micronesian Wartime Narratives -- Some Micronesian Preoccupations -- Greetings and Farewells -- Wartime Memories in the Modern World -- "The Great Airplane" -- List of Participants in Oral History Interviews. Pt. I. Ch. 1. Ch. 2. Pt. II. Ch. 3. Ch. 4. Ch. 5. Ch. 6. Pt. III. Ch. 7. Ch. 8. Ch. 9. Ch. 10. Pt. IV. Ch. 11. Ch. 12. Ch. 13. Ch. 14. App.
"Micronesians often liken the Pacific War to a typhoon, one that swept away their former lives and brought dramatic changes to their understanding of the world and their place in it. Whether they spent the war in bomb shelters, in sweet potato fields under the guns of Japanese soldiers, or in their homes on atolls sheltered from the war, Micronesians who survived those years know that their peoples passed through a major historical transformation. Yet Pacific War histories scarcely mention the Islanders across whose lands and seas the fighting waged." "Memories of War sets out to fill that historical gap by presenting the missing voices of Micronesians and by viewing those years from their perspectives. The focus is on Micronesian remembrances - the ritual commemorations, features of the landscape, stories, dances, and songs that keep their memories of the conflict alive. The inclusion of numerous and extensive interviews and songs is an important feature of this book, allowing Micronesians to speak for themselves about their experiences. In addition, they also reveal distinctively Micronesian cultural memories of war." "Memories of War preserves powerful and poignant memories for Micronesians; it also demonstrates to students of history and culture the extent to which cultural practices and values shape the remembrance of personal experience."--BOOK JACKET.
0824831306 9780824831301
2007022048
World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--Micronesia (Federated States) Memory--Social aspects--Micronesia (Federated States) World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Micronesian Oral history