Islands as Safe Havens: Thinking About Security and Safety on Guåhan/Guam

In the imagery of Western discovery and romance, Pacific islands are tropical paradises with long white beaches, palm trees and women ready to do whatever men (e.g. white men) ask of them. At the same time, those islands are also understood to be essential for the safety and security of faraway homelands. Guahan/Guam is one island on which the contradictions of these two images continues to be played out in real time; the top two employers are tourism and the U.S. military. Taking a feminist perspective, this paper looks at security as both being and feeling safe. It will address the implications of the U.S. military presence, focusing on the meaning of feeling safe in a military colony of the United States. The paper reflects conversations and interviews with Chamoru and other residents conducted between 2010 and 2018, as well as student responses to questionnaires about being and feeling of safe. The purpose is not to portray a single, objective story but rather depict multiple voices and feelings, many of which often go unrecognized or are silenced. The paper suggests that the combination of colonization and militarization reinforces masculinities based on power, strength and the desire for protection through military means. It concludes that without decolonization and demilitarization, being ‘safe’ can only be possible in unsafe ways.