Abstract for presentation at Global Social Work 2004

This presentation contends that globalization is not a new phenomenon in Micronesia. It describes various histories of peoples in Micronesia and illustrates how global political, economic, and socio-cultural forces have shaped the evolutionary paths of these island communities. Peoples in Micronesia have migrated from Asia and have been colonized for centuries. Only during the past two decades almost all island peoples have ‘exercised their political self-determination’ by associating themselves with the United States. The Chamorro people in Guam still are not given the right for political self-determination and remain an Unincorporated U.S. Territory.
After having provided the historical context of Micronesia, the presentation focuses on a few current social problems and illustrates how global forces continue to influence the lives of Micronesian people in ways that is beyond their control. The data used in this presentation is qualitative (focus groups throughout Micronesia) and quantitative (U.S. Census and several locally designed and conducted surveys). The author concludes that globalization in Micronesia is a continuation of colonialism and that it poses dilemmatic challenges and promising opportunities for social work practice.
The exploration of these challenges and opportunities for social work practice and education constitute the final part of the presentation.