The Failure to Objectify Culture: A Lack of Nationalism in the Federated States of Micronesia

抄録

It is widely observed that political leaders promote national consciousness and unity by the rhetoric of national cultures and symbolic activities including sports events and commemoration of independence of the states. This is a process of cultural objectification in which people are made to reflect upon their cultures and identify themselves with those cultures. In the case of the FSM (Federated States of Micronesia), however, such politicians’ attempts have led to unintended consequences: instead of national unity, they are fostering local and ethnic consciousness and thus division among the nation. The FSM consists of four states, each of which is inhabited by a number of linguistic groups and local communities. Being acutely aware of the absence of national unity, politicians are trying to counteract this situation through various occasions such as FSM Games and Yap Day. FSM Games is a sports event where people from the whole country participate. Yap Day is an event where various cultural activities are conducted on the island of Yap. These two events were intended to promote nationalism by political leaders. However, contrary to the leaders’ intentions, the events have contributed to the process of objectification of local and ethnic cultures and the intensification of local identity. Firstly, this is because there is virtually no culture that the leaders can utilize for representing the whole country. This is reflected in their favorite expression “Our culture lacks substantial content.” Secondly, this is attributable to the fact that the competition involved in these events tends to heighten awareness of local differences rather than similarities among the participants. This study of the difficulties in promoting nationalism and cultural objectification in the FSM concludes that a lack of nationalism among the common people prevents political leaders from forging a united, national culture.