Archives and collective memory: A case study of Guam and the internment of Chamorros in Manenggon during World War II.

摘要

While there have been histories written about the American recapture of Guam and Marianas within the larger context of the history of the World War II and the American defeat of the Japanese Empire in the Pacific, the internment of Chamorros in the Manenggon concentration camp is not well documented. As a result, little has been written about the single most tragic event in Guam contemporary history. As time passes, the survivors of the interment also pass on and their first-hand memories, if not recounted or documented, are at risk of being lost with their deaths.; The internment of Chamorros in the Manenggon concentration camp is the case that will address the larger question "What is the relationship between archives and collective memory in Guam?" It neither seeks to examine the historical accuracy of the Japanese occupation of Guam during World War II nor does it attempt to examine the physiological processes of remembering. Instead, it serves both as a study of the documentation of this event, and the ways in which this event is remembered that are significant in the lives of the survivors to whom these memories belong. It also examines how this island community sustains remembrances of the internment as part of its collective memory.; Guided by the dynamic approach model of collective memory, this historical instrumental case study uses a three-pronged approach: (1) examination of the war claims records that document this event, (2) examination of well-established local newspapers that report commemorative ceremonies honoring those interned in Manenggon thereby shaping how Manenggon is collectively remembered, and, (3) interviews with survivors of Manenggon.; In addition to emergent themes that provided specific details about the internment period beyond the naturalized and polarized discourse of Liberation, which is spoken of either in terms of atrocities or Chamorro hyper-patriotism and American heroism, results of this study pointed to the need to define the currently ill-defined mechanisms of cultural transmission specific to Chamorros of Guam, acknowledges the existence of both archival and non-archival systems that act virtually independent of one another but in a dynamic relationship, and the influence and impact of the American colonial regime and socio-political contexts in the formation of collective memory about the interment in Manenggon during World War II.