Speaking to Power

For nearly fifty years, US government officials have identified Belau, in western Micronesia, as a key strategic site and have implemented administrative policies designed to maintain permanent access to Belau's land, reefs and waters for military purposes. Elder women placed themselves at the forefront of opposition to these policies, and, as part of oppositional efforts, successfully entered international political arenas. "Speaking to Power moves beyond examining the impact of militarism and colonial administrative policy in Belau and draws on feminist poststructural analysis to explore the fluidity of contests in constructions of "gender," "politics," and "tradition" during US administration in Belau. Wilson offers a compelling ethnography that incorporates critical questions about US military and administrative policy in Belau, introduces contemporary analytical debates concerning power in an accessible way, and examines power relations in local, national and international politics. She challenges conventional approaches to ethnography, addresses power relations within the process of her own research and writing, and effectively uses this reflexive text to experiment with alternative forms of representation and ethnographic writing.