J. Kehaulani Kauanui, Assoc. Prof. of American Studies/Anthropology at Wesleyan University, and author of Hawaiian Blood: Colonialism and the Politics of Sovereignty and Indigeneity
The Insular Empire is a must-see teaching tool… this excellent project grapples with the moral and legal questions regarding imperialism, military expansion, and self-determination in a way that is brilliantly incisive without being heavy handed.
Andrew Feldman, Foreign Policy in Focus
By raising uncomfortable questions about the vestiges of imperialism in our democracy, The Insular Empire is effective at telling the story of a people whose perspective has been absent for far too long.
(Full text of the review can be found here.)
Travis Coffman, Newstalk K57, Guam
I have covered the Marianas for nearly 20 years as a journalist and broadcaster, and this feature captures the essence of the relationship between the U.S. and its possessions more accurately than any single work I’ve ever come across. It is at once brilliant, heartbreaking and beautiful without pandering to anyone’s particular agenda. It will stand, I know as a lasting tribute to the men and women so affectionately and authentically portrayed in this compelling celebration of a truth that remains untold to much of America.
The Huffington Post
“Guam: Self-Determination or More U.S. Troops?” by Robert Naiman
Usually, when someone refers to a place as a “U.S. colony,” they are making an analogy, suggesting that U.S. influence somewhere is so strong, and the indigenous residents of the place have so little effective say over key decisions, that it’s as if the place were a formal U.S. colony. (read the entire review here)
Chalmers Johnson, Prof. Emeritus of Political Science, UC San Diego, and Author of the Blowback Trilogy:
“This very beautiful and moving film deals with some “hidden history” about American imperialism. Nor is it only history, since the U.S. government is about to inflict a still greater military base expansion on Guam, which its ecology cannot possibly sustain. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an impressive documentary – The Insular Empire should be a wake-up call for all Americans.”
The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus
Film Review by John Junkerman
Mention “The Insular Empire” to the average American, and they’d likely have no idea what you were talking about. They probably still wouldn’t get it if you gave them another clue: “America in the Mariana Islands.” These are the title and subtitle of a new film by Vanessa Warheit, which began screening on PBS earlier this year.
It is the singular misfortune of the residents of Guam and the Northern Marianas to have been born on tiny islands of great strategic value in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The consequence has been their colonial subordination for four centuries to a succession of empires… (read the entire review here)
Don Brenneis, Professor of Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz:
“The Insular Empire is an invaluable contribution to our understanding of American colonialism – and of the painful ironies of contemporary empire in the Marianas and beyond. A real achievement of lasting value.”
Zoltan Grossman, Professor of Geography, Evergreen State College:
“For Americans who think that colonialism is a relic of the past, or that military expansion is merely a recent response to 9/11, this compelling film documents the longstanding negative effects of military colonization and bases on the people of Guam and the Northern Marianas. It also shows the human face of this history, and how the cultures of the Chamorro and Carolinian peoples have been undermined by the U.S. military presence, yet still persevere and serve as sources of pride and resistance.”
