“Cultures of Commemoration-the Politics of War,Memory,and History in the Mariana Islands” (University 0f Hawaii Press. 2011)

Keith L. Camacho (Assistant Professor in the Asian American St University of California, Los Angeles)

Hafa adai and greetings. I thank the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Foundation, the Board of Directors, and the Selection Committee for awarding my manuscript on war, memory, and history in the Mariana Islands. I feel especially humbled for receiving recognition from your distinguished Foundation, a recognition partly premised on the rise of intellectual and political exchanges among Chamorros, Japanese, and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific Islands.

When World War II engulfed our ancestors several decades ago, such efforts to mutually recognize, appreciate, and understand ourselves were rare. Instead, education, militarism, nationalism, race, and religion created segregated public spheres among our respective peoples. That is why the generations before us still struggle to comprehend each other, often living and reliving their memories of genocide, war, or nuclearism. With our collective efforts, however, we can foster critical and inclusive venues for discussion in the Pacific Basin and elsewhere. For these reasons and more, I remain optimistic about the academic partnerships we can forge over the ensuing decades and beyond. This is a very promising time, then, for our work.

Finally, I want to acknowledge my grandparents, who instilled in me a passion for storytelling. They include Francisco and Rosa Camacho of Chalan Piao, Saipan, and Juan and Magdalena Lujan of Barrigada, Guam. Everybody has passed away, except for my grandfather, Juan. Yet they all taught me about the power of Chamorro storytelling; that is, about the humor, prayer, humility, and perseverance of Chamorro narratives and narrative styles. They would be very pleased to know that the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Foundation appreciates their stories as well.

Si yu’us ma’ase, saina. Thank you, everybody

Profile
Keith L. Camacho is a Chamorro scholar from the Mariana Islands. His
research examines issues of colonization, decolonization, and
militarization in Asia and the Pacific, with an emphasis on indigenous
narratives of survival and sovereignty. Keith is presently an assistant
professor of Pacific Islander Studies in the Asian American Studies
Department at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as a
Faculty-in-Residence at the UCLA Office of Residential Life. He is the
author of Cultures of Commemoration: The Politics of War, Memory,
History in the Mariana Islands (University of Hawaii Press, 2011) and,
with Setsu Shigematsu, co-editor of Militarized Currents: Toward a
Decolonized Future in Asia and the Pacific (University of Minnesota
Press, 2010). Along with Professor Lois M. Takahashi, he was a
co-recipient of the Chiyoko Doris and Toshio Hoshide Distinguished
Teaching Prize in 2009.