Lexington Books Steadfast Movement Around Micronesia: Satowan Enlargements Beyond Migration

Steadfast Movement examines how people from Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) move about and their cultural interpretations of movement itself. Special consideration is made of movement on the atoll of Satowan in Chuuk State as intimately associated with clan, lineage, and locality, as well as the influence of a system of local beliefs and attitudes based on combinations of age, marital status, and childbirth. Lola Quan Bautista also investigates the ways in which the current movement of citizens from Chuuk State and others from FSM to Guam fits within larger contexts that emphasize historical circumstances and more current political-economic considerations. Considering movement as being steadfast makes this study one of the few undertaken in the Pacific to self-consciously attempt to provide a sense of agency and interconnectivity between transnationalism and circular mobility. Review Bautista's study of the movements of the people of Satowan Atoll in Micronesia is a valuable addition to our understanding of the complex drivers of human mobility. It demonstrates the value of combining insights from theories of circular migration and transnationalism to provide models of movement which better reflect the ways in which cultures and political economy interact in movement decisions. Its rich ethnography demonstrates the value of understanding how actors understand movement; why they employ opportunities to move at various times in their lives and the pattern of their movements.--Cluny Macpherson, Massey University, New Zealand Bautista brings ethnographic richness and theoretical insights to migration studies by describing Satowan Islanders both in their home community and at destinations away from home and analyzing Satowan migration from the perspective of cultural concepts of social mobility and space, household, kinship, and life cycle. Enlarging upon writings on transnationalism and circular mobility, Steadfast Movement makes important contributions to our understanding of migration, gender, cultural identity, and globalization in the contemporary Pacific.--Don Rubinstein, University of Guam This is a rich, powerful, and evocative analysis of the patterns of movement of people from a small, remote coral atoll to urbanized islands in the Western Pacific and beyond. Lola Quan Bautista provides a detailed sociological interpretation of the relationships between people, social space, and movement as well as the cultural meanings of mobility and both proper and improper behavior. A solid contribution to contemporary theorizing about transnationalism and circular mobility, Steadfast Movement gives voice to insider views about moving or staying. It is especially timely since the movement of Micronesians to the U.S. and its territories continues to expand.--Craig Severance, University of Hawaii, Hilo About the Author Lola Quan Bautista is assistant professor at the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai`i, Manoa.