Identity and Resistance in Okinawa

The keystone of US security in East Asia, Okinawa is a troubled symbol of resistance and identity. One-fifth of Okinawa’s land is occupied by a foreign military power and the area carries a disproportionate amount of responsibility for Japanese and US security in the region. Ambivalence about the nature of Okinawan identity lies behind the relations between Japan and the US. This perspective historical ethnography draws attention to the range of cultural and social practices that exist within contemporary Okinawa. The narrative problematizes both the location of identity and the processes involved in negotiating identities within Okinawa. Using the community on Kumejima as a focus, the author describes how people create and modify multi-textured and overlapping identities over the course of their lives. Matthew Allen explores memory, locality and history; mental health and shamanism; and regionalism and tourism in this study. Based on fieldwork, interviews and historical research Allen argues that identity in Okinawa is multi-vocal, ambivalent and still under construction .