The Marshallese look: Clothing, culture and identity in a disappearing world

Abstract

Marshallese youth face extraordinary challenges in creating an identity, due to their economy, isolated location – the Marshall Islands are located in the central Pacific Ocean and comprise of more than 1200 islands and islets – the history of US nuclear testing in the islands and climate change. Contemporary youth identity construction requires constant acts of acculturation, due to media and globalization. This study used content and transitivity analyses to explore how Marshallese youth understand their distinctive look. Content sub-unit frequencies indicated that the Marshallese community was the most significant factor in defining style, particularly cultural uniqueness, history, religion and generational differences. Collective pronouns indicated that acculturation anxieties stemmed from cultural differences and loss and were managed by asserting community affiliation. Personal style preferences reflected contextual and financial limitations. Process-type analysis constructed culture as the most vigorous actor and speaker, where youth roles included perception and cognition, with other islands’ views mediating between the two. Roles attributed to the media and the West included emoting and wanting, where China more closely resembled Marshallese youth, though the ubiquity of western content may render its agency somewhat invisible to Marshallese youth. Overall, Marshallese youth harmonize their individuality within attributed community and contextual factors. This is likely to be their preferred strategy when they emigrate to the United States, a highly individualistic country. Marshallese parents and second-generation Marshallese will require support, in their new context.