Transmission of Violence: The Legacy of Colonialism in Guam and the Path to Peace

Abstract

The Western Pacific island of Guam, located in Micronesia has a long history of colonisation. Through centuries of warfare, violence, disease, subjugation, and disregard for basic human rights and freedom, the indigenous Chamoru people have been wounded and defeated in innumerable ways. They have persevered and survived throughout the centuries, despite their traumatic history, but not without consequences. This theoretical article explores those consequences and the traumatic ‘debris’ within the context of traumatology and post-traumatic stress disorder literature, the Jewish Holocaust experience, and the modern sociopolitical atmosphere on Guam. Finally, some recommendations that have themes of empowerment, reparations, cultural renaissance, and rebirth are offered to restore balance and peace to the lives of the native Chamoru of today's Guam.