What is it about?
This articles focuses on Chamoru, Guam's Indigenous people. It examines territorial status as a distal or macro level social determinant of health. Specifically addressed are issues related to Guam as a "contested space". To the US, Guam is a critical borderland with East Asian nations and as such, is heavily militarized. From a Chamoru perspective, Guam lies in the potentially deadly crossfires of global superpowers.
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Why is it important?
Guam is situated between East Asia and the U.S. Its proximity to Asia makes it a a critical borderland. The authors articulate a Chamoru critical race theory, which aligns with the action-orientation of fourth-generation social determinants of health (SDOH) research.
Perspectives
Social workers have a meaningful role in promoting global health for all. Use of participatory, action-oriented, and cultural-political social work approaches may be helpful in addressing the challenges of Indigenous self-determination and survivance in contested spaces.
Dr Lana Sue I Ka'opua
University of Hawaii-Manoa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Island Nation, US Territory and Contested Space: Territorial Status As a Social Determinant of Indigenous Health in Guam, The British Journal of Social Work, August 2019, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcz097.
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